The creative industry under quarantine - E01 The Attico

The outbreak of the Coronavirus is the first shared experience of the globalized world and as such it has direct and immediate consequences on dozens, hundreds of different industries, all closely connected and dependent from one another. Being global and interconnected by definition is an intrinsic feature of the fashion world, one of the fields that will suffer the most from this quarantine, both from a creative and economic point of view.

nss magazine inaugurates a new series of interviews to the most well-known Milan creative realities, that made a name for themselves around the world too, how they're facing the quarantine and what they're expecting from this crisis. For this first episode read the answers by Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini of The Attico below.

#1 Describe your typical quarantine day 

GILDA and GIORGIA: The quarantine has definitely changed our habits, but not our spirit. We've tried to keep our routines, adapting them to this new lifestyle. The day starts with a streaming pilates class. We're very into work-outs that you can find online as well: the ones from the 90s with Cindy Crawford and Cher are our favourites. Then starts the working day: we're constantly in touch to work on the upcoming collections, to plan activities, to value the consequences that this period of time will inevitably have. If it hadn't been for this pandemic, today we would have been in Los Angeles or Tokyo to do research, quarantine has forced us to remain home, making us look for inspiration online. The Internet has always been a great container of ideas for us, but today it is fundamental: we search through museums' online collections; we download magazines and books; we watch TV series; we listen to podcasts, talks and audiobooks. We're taking care of ourselves, masks and homemade peelings fill our days! Evenings are dedicated to our friends that we meet virtually thanks to Houseparty: the real revelation of this period of time that will soon become one of the most popular apps to connect people. 

#2 Your first thought when you realized that Coronavirus was a real and concrete issue

GILDA: For me, it was a bolt from the blue and the first thought went to work and to timing and deadlines that were to change. I thought of the difficulties and the efforts of the last few months and my whole world fell apart. Being an Aquarius the thing that scares me the most is being stuck in a place or a situation. The first instinct was to run, to flee, but I knew it was not right and so I had to come to terms with this whole situation. 

GIORGIA: My first thought went to the people who were not with me and that I didn't know when I would be able to see again. I thought of our working team and all our appointments and deadlines that of course were about to be delayed, that we had to re-organize everything differently and that we had to come up with a new method to carry on the work and the next collection. I realized that I was not able to travel, that I couldn't have that desired break after Fashion Week, the most intense period of our job. A needed break to recharge between seasons. But here we are. It's important to be able to accept unexpected situations and experience them as an incentive to create something new and as an opportunity to reflect. 

#3 The app you're using the most in this period

GILDA: Houseparty, Spotify, Instagram

GIORGIA: Spotify, Netflix / Apple TV, Nike Training 

#4 Your biggest fear and what you miss the most

GILDA: As I said before, being stuck in a place or in a situation is my biggest fear. I miss the simple things: grabbing a coffee at the bar, working out with my trainer, going to the office with tranquillity. 

GIORGIA: Monotony scares me. I'm a calm person, who enjoys being on her own and taking time to do what I like, but this sacrificed freedom is not easy to deal with. That's why I'm trying to organize my days, even though everything happens in the same space. I face every day as if it was a regular Giorgia's working day, with a kind of schedule: work, work out, meditation, reading, movies, cooking (a new activity I fell in love with during this quarantine!). 

#5 The most pleasing surprise of this quarantine.

GILDA: The pleasure of working from the tranquillity of home and the many messages that I got from many people around the world who thought of me. 

GIORGIA: Knowing that probably for the first time we're all the same and that we can support each other. I see it in the messages, in the exchange of information, in the words of solidarity. Also, the great opportunity to have really the time to do the things that I had written in a notebook more than a year ago and that I never had the time to do, now I'm starting to write 'done'. 

#6 Your soundtrack or the album you've been listening non-stop. 

GILDA: I share all the songs that mark my day on my Instagram profile, they're too many to mention, go have a look. 

GIORGIA: I've actually created a Spotify playlist that I update gradually. 

#7 Your tip for creative people who are having trouble with this time of standstill. 

GILDA e GIORGIA: Who like us has the luck to go through this moment with health and being aware of the fact that their dear ones are safe, must do it with gratitude and hope, cultivating their own interests, discovering new passions, taking care of themselves. This forced stop can say a lot, it can make us reflect and it can turn into inspiration. The aim is to overcome this situation stronger and with the eager to do great things. 

#8 Are you already planning your post-quarantine?

GILDA: I'll party for a week straight without even going home! 

GIORGIA: I'll jump on the first plane for the trip I've always dreamt of.