Discovered at Pitti Uomo last June, The Flow House met Nicola Boccia, the Co-founder of “The Silted Company”. The label is one of the coolest newcomer brands of the year and seeks to be all about young talents. We talked to him, at the artistic and inspiring nhow, about positive changes in the world, surfing and the difficulties of building an own brand.
The Flow House: What is the idea behind your brand? Who are you?
Nicola Boccia: The idea comes from a great passion, driven by the desire to propose a new style, not only in the way of dressing.
We are just two guys from Italy, Riccardo Minoccheri and I, that are part of a collective of surfers, designers, musicians, photographers and innovative filmmakers, which embraces the curious side of the way of thinking and positive changes in the world. “Perceiving Endless” is our motto, it contains the past, present and future of our project.
TFH: Colors and shapes: What makes your clothes special?
NB: Our collections have clean lines and shapes, but with a very high attention to the fits, details and fabrics. We’ve merged the surf world with fashion and also mix Japanese fit inspirations with the clean Nordic style. But what makes us, are the Californian vibes and the great Italian manufacturing.
TFH: Where do you produce and sell?
NB: We produce in Italy, near Bologna and our products are now in a lot of different countries with such different characteristics among them and this is great! Countries and cities like New York (East Dane), Tokyo (Hollywood Ranch Market), Paris (Merci), Milan (Antonioli, Inner), Seoul (Rare Market) and we also work with stores in Germany, Spain, Czech Republic and Russia.
TFH: What is the “Silted”-buyer like?
NB: We think that a Silted buyer is someone who is looking for something real that has an identity, someone who is looking for good stuff with the right price and look, something different without excesses but with a real purpose of style.
TFH: Which designer or artist inspires you the most?
NB: There isn’t just one, but there also aren’t very many. We love Digawell, Alexandre Mattiussi, YMC, Missoni, Maharishi.
TFH: What fascinates you about surfing?
NB: It’s hard to describe, maybe it’s better to try it. Anyway, surfing is like a very positive drug for your body and soul, and people in the surfing world have a different view of things.
TFH: You have Italian roots. To what extent has Italy influenced your brand?
NB: Our brand is 51% Italian, because we love our country and if something is in your heart like this you are for sure influenced by it, maybe when looking at our style or collection you’d never think something like this, but Italy transmits a lot of positive vibes and culture to us, especially in tailoring and clothing!
TFH: What do you think about the new generation of Italian brands and designers?
NB: There are some good new brands and ideas and we think in Italy there have to be new designers because there is a very high potential.
TFH: Why is “Pitti Uomo” important for brands such as yours?
NB: We think this work is all about knowing people and opening up your mind. Pitti has gathered the most important buyers from all around the world and for a new and pretty small brand like us, this is a very huge opportunity to show all our work to them, get feedback and maybe start to work with a new great store.
TFH: How do you encourage young designers?
NB: I think you can’t ever stop believing in yourself, it’s quite a common slogan, but first of all, if there’s passion in what you do and you have the toughness to withstand difficulties, you will make your dream come true. Create something new from your thoughts into reality always creates a special feeling and it’s what we live for.
TFH: A lot of women buy your menswear clothes. Is it still necessary to differentiate between womenswear and menswear?
NB: We hope girls continue this trend of buying Unisex/Men’s clothing, but we also think that not every girl is ready to do it now.
TFH: Would you classify your brand as a streetwear brand?
NB: The Silted Company is very difficult to classify, for us it is fashion and streetwear at the same time or better just “Silted”, but the best part of our brand is that anyone can choose his or her favorite way to wear it, fashion or more street.
TFH: Where do you see your brand in 5 years?
NB: We see The Silted Company distributed all over the world, but not massively, just in the right places where there are stores that feel us and know who we are and also to be a reference for all of those who seek a new way of style founded on new ways of thinking, fashion and streetwear concepts.
Discover some of our favorite SS19 looks:
Interview: Karim Coppola
Brand + Photos: The Silted Company
Creative Director: Nicola Boccia
Special Thanks for the Support: nhow Milan
