A CONVERSATION WITH DESIGNER ILARIA NORSA
ILARIA NORSA
FOUNDED INAN STUDIO WITH HER BUSINESS PARTNER GIULIA TAVANI.
Belted Accessories for late night lovers and a unique sense of style.
The designer, born and raised in Milan, moved to Ibiza in 2013. She spent 15 years working as a fashion stylist and consultant for several fashion brands and magazines, but it was in 2020 she became a designer and entrepreneur. Currently she spends half her time in Milan and the rest in the island, with some trips to Florence to supervise and manage production.
Ilaria, tell us your greatest inspirations or influences?
Our belts are inspired by nightlife, underground music and tribal punk culture.
I personally find inspiration everywhere. My background in art history is a source of inspiration-together with my everlasting passion for music icons and fashion/photography.
Tell us a bit about your creative process?
Research is part of my daily routine: through instagram, magazines, flea markets, art exhibitions, vintage archives, books, dead end stocks, underground culture and the fashion world in general.
INAN products are season less: we don’t have to follow a strict calendar when it comes to creating and presenting new collections. We design with a timeless concept in mind. Giulia and I are constantly sharing and developing our creative ideas together, and we never struggle to come up with new designs.
The most challenging part of the creative process has to do mostly with the signature hardware we create for our belts, which together with the design makes them unique.
How has this year changed your creativity or how you see the world changing moving forward?
This year I personally worked harder than ever. Which wasn’t exactly in my plans but at least it kept me busy. AS F***.
We started the company in February 2020, right before the pandemic. Not the best time to present belts that are mainly inspired and dedicated to night life lovers, but this challenging situation gave us the opportunity to re-think the ordinary scheme, positioning ourselves as a project with our own rules and values.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
I have way too many to name just one. Considering that I am Italian, I think Maneskin are impressive. (They rocked our belts on the cover of their last album)!
Do you think the fashion world needs to change, and if so how do you feel it can improve?
Fashion needs to keep moving forward towards more sustainable processes and schemes. We believe in the value of Made in Italy craftsmanship and that modern luxury is underpinned by ethical and sustainable practices. Our production processes are artisanal and respect the environment. Our products are genderless, season less and timeless: in a system ruled by fast fashion we trust owning a special piece that can last forever and can be worn over and over adding a touch of boldness to any outfit is priceless.
On our side we also chose to develop vegan leather options to promote environmental & animal rights consciousness and we look forward to launching an up-cycled collection drop, recycling dead stock materials.
Last but not least we strongly believe fashion should stand for inclusivity- And we do our best to promote this.
What does wellbeing mean to you?
Getting enough sleep. Paying attention to what I eat. Exercising regularly. Being in love. Playing with my dog. Having lots of good laughs. Spending as much time as possible surrounded by nature. The only thing missing for my wellbeing (and our business)right now is a good dance!
all photos by Simone Cossettini