By Daniela Culinovic

How can we compensate for the experiences we cannot have due to the pandemic? It now seems a long time ago, when we were allowed to travel without fear, indulge in new cultural, tactile, and taste experiences that left us emotionally and intellectually enriched. 

All you can safely do, at the moment, is to daydream about distant places and sunsets, and hope that one day you will be able to return to that small artisan shop hidden in a narrow street in Trastevere (perhaps, Anna Retico’s jewels atelier), a neighborhood of Rome, you wanted to visit last time, but we didn’t, because you had a plane to catch. 

“Maybe next time,” you thought, but “next time” is not coming soon enough. Even while you are (more or less) stylishly working from home, you don’t have to despair because the lure of travel, intricate embroidery, beautiful materials, and fits that combine traditional with contemporary may be closer to you than you think. The name is La Fuori.

La Fuori collections combine the Italian appreciation of femininity and trendless style with fits and traditions of Vietnam and India, which brings the longing for a destination to the comfort of your wardrobe. 

Besides the dreamy or, perhaps, romantic side of La Fuori, there is the grounding element, as well. Your purchase at La Fuori is supporting the traditional crafts and garment-making skills across the world that are in danger of extinction, and those crafts usually involve women.

La Fuori is also fully committed to other aspects of sustainability, through opting for organic fibers, eco-dyes, and recyclable packaging, instead of non-biodegradable products. Let us dive deeper into several aspects of the brand.

Inspiration 

La Fuori is based in NYC and a joined forces brand, founded by Riccardo Benedini, a former ancient artifacts broker in Venice, and Vidur Adlakha, a designer and art and textiles lover. What connects these two entrepreneurs is the appreciation of beauty, travels to distant places and traditions. Thus, it is unsurprising that the travel experience, the search, and appreciation of savoir-faire is in the DNA of La Fuori. 

More on sustainability commitment 

As already mentioned, La Fuori’s sustainability commitment is both environmentally and equity-oriented. Concerning the latter, there is an interesting circularity related to women empowerment and inclusivity, that establishes itself between the women connected by La Fuori: the conscious, fast-paced and polyglot woman who acquires a piece of La Fuori somewhere in New York or LA, in a sense, becomes the spokesperson for a grandmother in India who weaved the silk for the acquired piece, using her generations-old knowledge, and skills. 

This, not only, incorporates circularity in the production line of the brand, but it also creates beauty that comes from the support of traditional crafts; one that transcends cultures, personalities, race, body types, and continents. Ultimately, this type of economic support network among women contributed by La Fuori is aligned with women empowerment goals within the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Style

The style of La Fuori collections is a dialogue between an artisan, especially a female artisan, and a contemporary woman, meticulous about her purchasing choices, and particular about the longevity of her style. The pieces feature proportions found in the garment traditions of the East and West, such as flared viscose-cotton pants, silk blouses, kaftans, and kimonos. 

For those with a very fine aesthetic taste, the most innovative and the most impressive sections are jackets and coats. These showcase the original La Fuori “twists” on the staples of fashion. For example, a cropped street-style jacket combines the elegance-enhancing gathered sleeves and well-structured shoulders with a cropped sporty hem. 

This results in a feminine, yet laid-back jacket ready to be paired with jeans for a more relaxed or a long skirt for a more uplifted wear. Embroidery is also a signature of La Fuori collections. The embroidered silk coat, for example, is a true and timeless piece of art to be handed down to daughters and granddaughters to come. 

For those in search of high-quality basics, there are a few minimalist staples, such as a white cotton button-down shirt, a white silk shirt, and a rayon T-shirt. 

La Fuori proves sustainability is desirable

A common myth linked to sustainable fashion is that it lacks diverse proportions and femininity. La Fuori proves that a brand can be sustainable without compromising the essence of fashion, which is an adornment of our physical appearance. 

Moreover, browsing through carefully crafted collections of unique pieces, I cannot but wonder: “What is beauty?” This question attempted for centuries by artists, philosophers and mathematicians alike come to the fore once again in the times of great economic, environmental, and moral shifts of our ever-changing world. I find it that La Fuori captures the essence of beauty in a fashion that will never change through its dedication to quality, femininity, and respect for traditional garment-making arts.

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