Alessio Zero, the young up and coming designer hailing out of Perugia is set to unleash his brand of fashion on the world. Now in his third season of label Layer-0, full of energy with an unyielding attention to detail, his work reflects the kind of craftsmanship that is void in much of the work dispensed today. He has a love for leathers and his collections show it. He has worked leather into his knits which are all done by hand as only hand-knitting leather and yarns can produce a superior product. His work is comprised of pieces fabricated from leathers such as horse that are produced for him in limited quantities. His patterns are intricate, very well thought out and possess a complexity that is far too easily overlooked.The construction of the pieces I have seen are absolutely wonderful. They are as beautiful on the inside as out. Has this kind of perfectionism in execution always been an attribute in the endeavors you've pursued?
Yes, I think ever since I began my technical studies years ago, I have felt this quest for perfectionism present in everything I do. Now, I succeed to manage all my artistic passions by expressing them fully within the project of Layer-0. Architecture, photography, painting and music are all elements contained inside of every piece of clothing I create, which claims 120% of my attention.
What moment in your life was the pivotal instance in which you decided to dedicate yourself to a career in fashion?The passions of the world of fashion were always inside of me, but it was only at the end of my technical studies that I began to dedicate myself to the path of a ‘modellista’ and creating a fashion house at the same time. From the first prototypes and tailoring studies I had with an affirmed master tailor in Perugia, I succeeded in creating a collection I felt expressed who I was, which was my first step inside the world (fashion) system.
For your first collection "defile", you did a presentation where masked models walked the runway, clutching a rope as a guide. What was the idea behind this presentation?
When defining my work, I like to talk about complementary sensory relationships between a garment and the person who wears it. Founded on this concept, the defile of the collection “feel your touch” was based on 3 principal details: the mask, which symbolizes the conditioned blindness of the individual, the sound characterized by media noise representing the feeding of daily information to the individual, and the rope seen also as the sense of touch, indicating the only point of reference in the carrying on or continuance of our true ideals in this manipulator society.
Is there a singular inspiration and story behind each of the collections that vary from season to season for you thus far?It’s difficult to speak of inspiration before the designing of a collection. Places visited, the study of times past and cultures new to me are all essential contributions that shape my approach, but it is in my moments of solitude that I succeed in attaining a vision of it.
So what would be a one sentence summation of your philosophy that would help others gain insight into who you are as a designer?
The world does not need copies.
This interview can be found in its original format in the Scoute archive section.
© All rights reserved.