Gianni Serra

Gianni Serra is a young fashion designer from Sardinia, born in the city of coral, Alghero. From the sunny hills of Sardinia, Serra moved to Milan to study fashion design at ‘Istituto Marangoni’. After graduation, in the early 90s, he moved to Rome where he established his first workshop. In the Italian capital, Gianni Serra came into contact with a range of diverse influences and engaged in collaborations with contemporary artists, fashion magazines and publications as well as a costume designer for theatre productions. During his “Roman period” , he embarked on a research of materials and traditional techniques, realizing unique and tailored pieces, and earning the opportunity to show his designs at Alta Roma. From the capital of art and history, Serra moved back to the city of fashion, Milan. Still passionate about Haute Couture, in Milan the designer had the opportunity to prove himself with his first prêt a-porter collection, S/S 2009 collection.

However, to define Gianni Serra as a designer would be too simplistic. With him, what begins as a trivial idea -becomes a piece of unique clothing, Serra is a stylistic visionary: capable to evolve his woman, which he defines as “air” – practical, and highly rigorous in the thousand eclectic facets of elegance.

The new winter collection is a synthesis of the masculine and feminine,e and was inspired by Marguerite Yourcenar. Staying in line with the idea in which Serra believes that “a dress has to be enchanting but also wearable, so to make the wearer look beautiful”, his F/W 2011-2012 collection consists of traditional fabrics, absolute volumes and timeless colours with a touch of eccentricity. The dominant colours are grey, black, white and camel, compiled into large sections of fabrics that are held in folds along the body. Austere lines that reveal a discreet femininity pervade this collection, where knee and ankle lengths are preferred; the style is minimalist starting from the choice of fabrics. For this collection the designer chose tweed, wool cloth and Tasmanian wool. Fabrics, that according to a well studied design, overlap in lines, but merge in an essential simplicity.

Now Serra is working on his next summer collection, maintaining this vision of a masculine woman. As for us, we will just have to wait for what his creativity, ability and experience will bring.