Interview with Ffocco
Innovative Latin American Design FFOCCO | Calm Clothing | is an ethical clothing brand that focuses on introspective activities, not only for its practice but also for reaching and withdrawing.
Designer of the Day Interview
21 May 2024
I am a designer from Argentina with extensive experience in both local and international markets. I began my career with a degree in Fashion and Textile Design from the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). Over the years, I have worked with prestigious brands and have taken on significant roles in various projects.
Key Highlights:
Current: Teaching independent design, introspection, and creativity classes.
2011 - 2015: Design consultancy for Giesso Mujer.
2011: Featured in "Nuevo Diseño Argentino" by Carmen Acevedo Diaz.
2010: Taught at the University of Palermo on conceptual collection development.
2008: Designed costumes for Gaby Herbstein's Calendar "Pájaros."
2007: Opened a replica store in Shanghai, managing market research and production in Asia.
2004 - 2006: Launched a new store in San Telmo and developed a sportswear collection for OSX-Ona Saez.
2003: Presented the "Flora" collection in London and launched ffiocca brand.
1998 - 1999: Collaborated with Devota & Lomba and Sybilla in Spain, and designed for the National Ballet of Spain.
My career has been enriched by a blend of independent work, academic contributions, and international collaborations, making me a versatile and adaptive designer ready for new challenges.
Key Highlights:
Current: Teaching independent design, introspection, and creativity classes.
2011 - 2015: Design consultancy for Giesso Mujer.
2011: Featured in "Nuevo Diseño Argentino" by Carmen Acevedo Diaz.
2010: Taught at the University of Palermo on conceptual collection development.
2008: Designed costumes for Gaby Herbstein's Calendar "Pájaros."
2007: Opened a replica store in Shanghai, managing market research and production in Asia.
2004 - 2006: Launched a new store in San Telmo and developed a sportswear collection for OSX-Ona Saez.
2003: Presented the "Flora" collection in London and launched ffiocca brand.
1998 - 1999: Collaborated with Devota & Lomba and Sybilla in Spain, and designed for the National Ballet of Spain.
My career has been enriched by a blend of independent work, academic contributions, and international collaborations, making me a versatile and adaptive designer ready for new challenges.
I've always been curious, observing materials, body postures, styles of speaking, and adult communication. My grandmother, with her exquisite taste and elegance, and my father, a manufacturer of men's shirts, introduced me to the world of textiles. When it was time to choose my university path, I discovered the new Fashion Design program at FADU in Argentina. This opportunity allowed me to become one of the first graduates in Fashion Design in the country. This blend of familial influence and educational innovation set me on my path to becoming a designer.
My design approach prioritizes the use of analog techniques that mimic digital effects and manufacturing methods that achieve an artisanal yet modern look. My style is an integral part of my communication, reflecting a minimalist and melancholic aesthetic that expresses my design philosophy.
When I visualize an idea, I often feel a sense of anxiety because I feel compelled to act, to bring my vision to life. As signals, solutions, and collaborators start to emerge, I feel a sense of calm. After the design is completed, I experience a mix of anticipation and curiosity, wondering how far it will reach, whom it will transform, and what emotions it will evoke.
It gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to materialize and bring an idea to reality. It is a power to communicate and express.
I would like to be able to show my ideas and designs to the world, work together with international companies
Be curious, that they incorporate knowledge by experimenting, consulting with humility
You can be a sole proprietor but you can also be an entrepreneur within a work group. To be a leader you have to be part of a work team.
Being an entrepreneur, routines do not usually last over time. so I do administrative and commercial work in order to define and make aesthetic decisions.
I can't always understand trends, I like that today it is possible to transmit and communicate. Everything goes very fast, and I can't always keep up with that pace.
when they manage to transmit a message, solve a need while respecting the environment and whoever we have nearby
something internal says it. technically it is known, aesthetically it feels
The costumes for the National Ballet of Spain, without a doubt, modern and minimalist clothing for dancing flamenco, was my great achievement.
Sybilla, Spanish Desinger
More and more I am focused on the little things, improving the quality of life, with my thoughts, actions and sayings.
I try to make conscious productions, without waste, or containing plastics. The link with suppliers and customers is also important. Micro-politics with ethics is what I profess
I put together a program to design in introspection, a time for creatives and enthusiasts to review their design decisions meditating.
It was intense, interesting and these questions made me ask myself and review my decisions, proposals and my past
Designer Interview
17 May 2024
Attentive to ethics and aesthetics, I enjoy textile creation, doing things well, and environmental awareness. I am the daughter of a textile father, a men's shirt manufacturer, and a very fashion-forward grandmother. I have always observed beauty and the harmony of form. I was part of the first generation of designers in my city, which involved a lot of making and learning. I like the industrial aspect and the styling of form. The textile material seduces me with its ability to envelop and communicate.
My company is a sole proprietorship located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It has been in operation for 9 years.
Design for me is about making small, sensitive decisions regarding form, culture, and problem-solving.
I enjoy working on material selection, pattern making, and aesthetic production.
Working with pleats and folds that are cut so they can go both ways.
A perforated leather vest for an experimental design competition.
I like working with leather or surfaces that don't require overlocking or finishing to prevent fraying.
When I have to solve a construction problem, finding different formal solutions.
On the outcome; I can't stop mentally visualizing the result of the product and its use.
Exhilaration, fear, and vertigo.
I create some distance to evaluate if it turned out as I really imagined, and then I adopt it as my own.
When the manufacturing workshops love the product, they know before and more than I do if the product is going to work.
It's irrational; it makes me stop and understand that it is perfectly harmonious and desirable, something very personal.
To work consciously to solve a problem, not to work with the ego of applause and only self-satisfaction.
yo creo que el dilema del futuro va a ser alrededor de la selección, el discernimiento, la elección para vivir de forma mas minimalista, con lo imprescindible y los que nos representa
It was in Buenos Aires, with the Sello de Buen Diseno, with my Zero Waste line. I would like to present a collection in Milan, where my grandfather lived.
Nature inspires me; I observe insects, flowers, and I like to think about how to deconstruct established forms.
Minimalist, functional, and melancholic.
I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm not very conscious of how living in Argentina affects me culturally. However, I can say that we don't have access to the same technology or materials, which forces me to be more creative.
I advise other companies, with frequent meetings, with personal and team proposals.
It's interesting to be open to new ideas, someone who works from outside the daily routine of the company and can understand the philosophy and vision.
First, understanding the concrete need, then working on the sensitivity and aesthetic message, then looking for materials, thinking about the construction method, and how to visually communicate it.
My ceramic house-shaped pieces, a Japanese brush that lifts pencil rubber residue, my natural cosmetics, a metal palm tree, and my bolster for yoga practice.
I wake up and practice yoga on an empty stomach, play with my 2 cats, have breakfast, go to the showroom, maybe visit a client or supplier, then have dinner with my partner, and meditate before sleeping.
Combining two techniques, making designs appear more complex in appearance than they actually are. I like them to seem impossible to reproduce. My advice is to work with people who have a craft and understand the manufacturing process of things.
Positives: Dreamers, feeling and excitement of changing the world. Negatives: Sometimes frustrating when others don't follow along. In the case of being an independent designer, it's important to be creative in the business aspect, not just the aesthetic one.
por lo que recomiendo desarrollar también ese aspecto. Regular 25% hacer 25% pensar 25% decir 25% sentir.
Wide emotional range, not developing the ego, primarily developing spirituality.
I work with paper and pencil, then move on to the Illustrator program.
I can't give advice on that; I set goals, but the time doesn't always work out as I would like.
It can take 2 months or sometimes more.
Every day I ask myself questions, both personally and to make decisions.
Working in Madrid with Sybilla and having Shiseido use my designs for an advertisement.
They are independent women who seek high-quality design for their introspective practice.
Defining the concepts. Because it's the most intellectual part that provides the framework for the proposal.
expandir la empresa internacionalmente y dar a conocer mi programa de diseño introspectivo
The designs of my brand are individual. I design alone; I have collaborators who interpret the realization.
I want to develop the Guia line; I have some ideas to make production and use more efficient.
by mail info@ffocco.com
by IG @ffocco
by IG @ffocco
Thank you for the journey I was able to take during this interview; it was an interesting insight into how I work, to improve and capitalize on.