IN THE VAN #02 :: VOODOO JEWELS

“dream on to preserve your freedom intact”

She entered a dry goods store for the first time when she was six, saw boxes of beads and it was love at first sight. She’s always brought the innate passion for handmade jewelry in and gets excited every time she sees a creation of Lalique.
DROME met Livia Lazzari. Androgynous and petite, sometimes austere, the creator of Voodoo Jewels told us a bit more about her mysterious world.

DROME: Which is your fashion’s vision?
LIVIA LAZZARI: Fashion, to me, is a mix of influences and realities that together paint an imaginary world in which everyone, more or less autonomously, is able to pour out his/ger desires and apersonal way to express him/herself. Actually, however, the fashion system, linked to market laws and the diktat of the big fashion houses, mortifies the concept of personal elaboration, reducing everything to a complex and dull/arid commercial machine.

D: What do you think about today’s fashion system and how would you like to see changes in the future?
LV: The fashion system today is heavily distorted due to the commercial interests of Corporates that manage brands with the sole objective of profit. In a context where the primary need is economic, the identity of the fashion houses and the profound message that lies behind the stylistic choices of a creative director are not respected and communicated in the right way. But what is good today is that street style and the self elaboration/expression of those involved in the fashion field with passion can really influence the “official” fashion. In fact, frequenlty it’s the reverse process that happens: fashion trends coming from the streets influence and impress/sway even ready to wear. So, what I hope for the future is that economic interests, that are of course fundamental, will be accompanied and supported by strong ideas of people who “create” in a genuine, pure way.

D: Which do you think is the most influential and innovative fashion’s hub? And why?
LV: For sure places like Berlin – and Germany in general- but also Spain, Holland and all the North-European countries live in an atmosphere of great ferment thanks to a myriad of independent brands that are supported by a system that really pays attention to small businesses. I wish it was the same in Italy, if only there weren’t thousands of bureaucratic quibbles that hinder in any situation even the most earnest efforts.

D: Which is the common thread in you creative work?
LV: The experimentation, together with the strong bond with nature, are the basic elements of my creations. Over the years I have been working with any kind of material, from wool to plastic, from rough stones to bones, the teeth of unusual animals and insects, and thanks to these past records of continuous research today I am able to create something different.

D: What feeds your creative imaginary and how do you materialize the external propulsion in order to realize your dress and/or accessory?
LV: Nature itself with its shapes, colors and smells stimulates my creative process more than anything else. Then there are the shamanic rituals and gothic atmospheres. The name Voodoo Jewels was chosen because Voodoo objects, in tribal culture, are believed to connect the human and the spiritual dimensions. I want to tell stories about objects that do not exist; a world of wishes in which everyone is free to express her/himself and to me it’s as if nature is a bridge between the reality and an imaginary world.

D: Let’s talk about extra-fashion influences; if you have to compare your personal style, your fashion to a song, which would be? And a movie?
LV: The song would definitely be “Infinite Horizons “ by God Is An Astronaut. Its hypnotic, mysterious, magic atmosphere is in my heart … The film that best represents me is Terrence Malick’s “The New World”, about the poetry of Nature and the purity of the moment, linked to a tribal imagery that I feel a sense of belonging to and really stimulates me.

text by Giulia Fasanella
photos by Jacopo Pergameno for DROME magazine
30.03.2012

www.livialazzari.com

The model invited by Livia for IN THE VAN # 02 is Martina Scorcucchi. A young and talented photographer, Martina works between Rome and New York, goes everywhere with her 5d mark II and shoots exciting fashion photography.
www.martinascorcucchi.com

Making of IN THE VAN #02 | video by Tommaso De Dona / Jacopo Pergameno – music by Filippo Scorcucchi