You may not know them by name, but you’ve definitely witnessed Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini numerous times in street-style snaps as the boldly dressed Italian duo. It was only a natural move for the inimitably chic pair to start a line and in just short of two years and five seasons, Attico has blown up to be one of the most coveted brands at the moment, adored by editors and celebs alike.
The two met years ago through mutual friends and clicked on their common background in fashion design. After consulting for a few brands, Gilda and Giorgia brainstormed future projects together and came across the idea of modernizing the robe wrap dress, which quickly became their signature piece. They transformed the classic into an opulent, contemporary version via decadent fabrics, glitzy embellishments, punchy hues and ornate details that can be worn alone or over denim—a look they prominently introduced on the streets during fashion week. Shortly after shoes and bags followed, a glittering lineup of decorative mules, bright strappy heeled sandals and feathered pouch bags that amplifies the brand’s larger-than-life aesthetic.
Attico’s quick rise to success found itself stocked in every major luxury retailer, most recently on the iconic floors of Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. We caught up with the designers and chatted all things Attico, inspirations, advice for building a brand and their go-to beauty buys. Read on for our interview with fashion’s It girls.
Homepage photo: Getty Images
Inspiration Behind The Attico Robe Dress
"We started with robes mostly. The collection was super tiny, around 30 pieces. That's how we wanted to preset ourselves—with that iconic piece so that we would be remembered for the robe. After that, the collection evolved a lot because we added so many different categories. The idea of Attico was really to build the closet of a woman. She would have the robes of course, but also she has what she would mix it with like jeans, tops and shirts. We slowly built the closet once we did accessories and pouches. We added little things season by season, just to make the world more complete."
Their Fashion Icons and Muses
"The first collection had ten robes, and every robe was named after a muse from the past. We had Cher and all the iconic women from the '70s and '80s. When we build our mood board we put all these super-strong women with amazing, extravagant style."
Three Staples Every Woman Should Own
"A robe, a slip dress and a blazer."
How To Stand Out And Launch A Successful Brand
"We have a privileged position because we really were quite exposed with our personal profiles. So when we launched the brand, of course this helped us reach people more easily. Now, we really hope we can be appreciated as designers. We have built something that goes beyond who we are. We are recognized for what we do. A project is successful because a lot of things work together. What was important years ago was just the product and today it's not enough. The product, of course, has to be good, but it has to be beautiful quality and you have to communicate it in the right way. You need to have all the right partners. It's not easy to launch a brand. You have to take care of so many aspects of the business."
Favorite Travel Destination
"LA is one of our favorites. We come here a lot for research and inspiration. It's always a good place. It makes us feel good to come here. It must be the weather and it must be the vibe. We come twice a year. It's a place that is connected to Attico a lot because it's our source of inspiration, but also we heard that our line here is very well received. So the people here really appreciate and feel good about our clothes."
On Saks Beverly Hills Carrying Their Line
"Every time we see our clothes in a store like this, we are like 'wow!'" We have amazing partners who really believe in our project. They put us close to brands like Givenchy, and we feel so small on the other side because we are such a young brand and such a small company. It's amazing, they really believe in it."
Go-To Beauty Products
"La Mer cream. We use the lip mask from Kristen Noel Crawley—she's a friend. We do a lot of face masks, too. We think the best cure in LA is the sun, especially now because Europe and New York still has bad weather. LA gives us this warmth."
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