Davide Perella
‘Never stop looking around and taking notes. Ideas come and go, but it’s better to always keep the good ones in your pockets’. That’s the piece of advice given by Davide Perella, the Art Director and Graphic Designer who has exclusive collaborations within the fashion world. Among Nike, Moschino and Alberta Ferretti, from Sardinia to New York and Milan, let’s find out more about the journey of this young creative!
How did you develop your creative spirit?
As for everything else, you have to apply yourself, try, make mistakes and then retry.
First things first, when did you realise that you wanted to pursue a career in the arts?
Since high school, I’ve been interested in everything that revolves around graphic design, fashion and interior design. Right after I graduated, I lived in New York for a while and and there it was confirmed that I would do this for life.
I use social networks a lot, I like the idea of being able to look for new inspirations that come from all over the world.
What’s the memory from your modeling career you remember with pleasure? And from your entrepreneur career?
From my modeling career, I remember with pleasure the first ‘important’ works, the adv campaigns and the fashion shows. They mean you have, in a way or another, succeeded in the industry. For the same reason, as entrepreneur, the entrance to the first important retailers (Selfridges, Harrod’s, Saks, Antonioli…) and the first celebrities to wear the brand (Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Chris Brown etc.).
How did you develop your creative spirit?
As for everything else, you have to apply yourself, try, make mistakes and then retry.
That being said, what was the best moment in your career so far?
You’ll find out soon.
Lastly, how would you describe your creative vision?
Pop, ironic and recognisable.
Davide, you have more than 22K followers on Instagram. What’s your relationship with social networks? How do you react to online criticism?
I use social networks a lot, I like the idea of being able to look for new inspirations that come from all over the world. That being said, criticism is always welcome, even more if constructive.
In 2017, you collaborated with American giant of sportswear Nike, creating bubblegum pink installations. Would you talk with us about this interesting project?
Surely, it’s one of the projects I’ve mostly enjoyed working on, because of the complete freedom that Nike and its fantastic team allowed me. I wanted to recreate the bombing of information we live everyday because of social networks, with video-wall installations on each of the windows of Milan’s Nike Lab store. The bubblegum pink sculptures recalled the shape of the Nike ‘Dunk' and the historical ‘Air Force 1’ sneakers.
Davide, you realised some artworks for Italian brand Alberta Ferretti. How did such a successful collaboration come about?
One of the first works commissioned by Alberta Ferretti was linked with the ‘Mia-Mule’ slippers. I created ironic pictures, that differentiated themselves from simple still lifes, because of their funny character and breaking the mold of the brand.
For a while, you’ve been collaborating with historical brand Moschino, whose creative direction was entrusted to Jeremy Scott in 2013. In your opinion, what’s the factor that’s determined the great success this company is experiencing?
Jeremy is a genius, I’m really happy to collaborate with him. Moschino needed a breath of fresh air and, with him, a proper tornado of news and ideas arrived. Jeremy has a unique and irreverent mark, that perfectly matches the Moschino style.
Despite the success of the last years, do you have any regrets?
To be honest with you, no, I don’t have regrets. I always try to better myself, and you can’t build anything out of regrets, but you can do it out of mistakes.
Is there a company you’d like to work with?
I don’t know, in the working environment I like to be challenged and surprised.
That being said, what’s your secret dream?
To create a brand of my own.