Here, Giorgetti talks candidly about his beginnings in the seaside town of Rimini, what success means to him, and why he thinks that a verse of an Emily Dickinson poem printed on a T-shirt is now more relevant than any logo.
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Massimo Giorgetti: Actually, the request came from Rizzoli; after my 10th-anniversary show at Milan's Triennale, they came to me. It was extremely fluttering and gratifying, even if it has been a hell of a lot of work! Especially for someone like me, who basically hates editing—if it had been for me, it would've been at least twice as big. But it has been a wonderful journey, reflecting on all that I've been able to achieve so far... It felt almost like a chapter closing to open the next one. The COVID outbreak happened while the book's editing work was being completed, so it was another omen, so to speak, marking a sort of new phase not only for MSGM, but for us all, and hopefully for the fashion industry—even if I must say that so far I haven't seen that many changes happen, honestly. But let's see and stay positive. there's my life in that book. There's my family, my husband Mattia, my dogs Pane and Coda, and all the people who have supported and believed in me. My idea was to edit a sort of magazine, like a special issue of some crazy fanzine, conveying MSGM's identity in a very direct, honest, unpretentious way. And the humanity and the togetherness that have always been important values to me.
Why were you drawn to fashion in the first place? Launching a brand is an ambitious project. What made you decide to do it on your own?
I must say that intuition has always guided me. In 2009, somehow I felt it was the right moment to start. MSGM was born as a small collective project between four old friends—the brand was actually named after the initials of my friends' names: Massimo, Simone, Gaia, Maurizio. Even if we have parted ways, we remain close and they've always supported me. And the name MSGM was actually born out of my passion for music—at that time I was listening to a lot of indie groups, MGMT being a favorite. I was obsessed with the sound of those letters…then Coldplay came out with Viva la Vida, and on the CD's cover there were those bright-colored stripes…. I remember perfectly when in my head the two things visually combined.
You were living in your seaside hometown, Rimini, which is known for its endless beaches and intense club life. How did your background influence your creativity?
I've always been interested in fashion—Rimini is actually a place where the latest looks matter a lot! I started as a clerk in the most fashionable store in Rimini, then I moved to consultancies for local brands and then I started to do small collections under my name, which surprisingly sold quite well. So my knowledge of market preferences and of the actual fashion product was quite strong and grounded—I knew what I liked and what the customers liked. The fashion that inspired me and that I wanted to make was very connected with the life I was leading at that time. It wasn't just an abstract desire of dressing some unfathomable woman.
My first collection in 2009 was almost unisex—big, oversized sweats hand-painted by a crazy street artist, together with some sort of Chanel jackets in bright-colored tweed with distressed denim trimmings, lined in ripped-apart cotton piqué preppy polo à la Ralph Lauren . Kind of crazy, but it worked so well it was bought on the spot by 50 stores all over the world. I was honestly taken back; I couldn't believe it. It was streetwear Italian-style, with a bit of a rough edge but perfectly executed. As for Rimini, my passion for strong primary colors comes from there: the endless rows of sun umbrellas on the beach. I practically lived on those beaches until I was 33 years old, when I left for Milan! This is definitely the joyful, positive part of my brand. The other part comes from Rimini's underground scene at that time. I was fascinated by the mix of characters and completely involved