There has never been any discrepancy in the way I look at men and women. I didn’t start my brand with the intent to provoke or with a mission to break norms. I wanted to convey a message that embraces individuality as an organic reality, as opposed to some kind of radical statement. From a young age, I felt the way forward was to deal with normatively in a normal way. For instance, I refused to hide my gayness as a kid. If I didn’t accept it as completely natural, how could I expect others to do it? Of course, in life and business, I got caught in the system and what it entails to be ‘different’ or to go against a certain grain. I feel that, in the end, it is definitely an important thing to have that message out there.
My message is: be true to who you are, be proud of what you are, and wear whatever you want to wear. There’s nothing more empowering than that sense of self-awareness and self-love. In my experience, finding your armour helps you to stay in touch with those feelings. It grounds them in the material, in something you can see and touch. First and foremost, I consider myself a designer; the post-gender thing is a social statement indirectly attributed to the product itself. Every single brand can be part of that change no matter how traditional they consider themselves. In the end, it’s completely up to the consumer to make something of it. It’s pretty simple: Alancrocetti is for everyone who identifies with my designs.