The power of a community: interview with Luca Santeramo

Story of 545 and of an 'ordinary' boy

«I don't consider myself a designer, nor have I ever claimed to be one. I'm not a stylist or a creative, I don't think I am any of that»: this response alone might deepen our understanding of Luca Santeramo, the founder of Fivefourfive (545). Among the Italian emerging brands, it is the one that has most effectively made the complex transition from "creator-brand" to an actual brand, or, in Sante's words, «a lifestyle, because beyond selling a product, I want to sell an ecosystem of things, not just a T-shirt but the idea of belonging to a family». The 545 family is quite large, as evidenced by the achievements in just a few years or by the response seen observing the multitude of young people wearing the brand's College Jacket on the downtown streets of big cities on Saturday afternoons. The same family that camps out during gatherings or outside pop-ups, a tangible emblem of the importance of community in contemporary fashion, the greatest legacy of streetwear culture for the entire industry.

«I have always tried to project a certain image of myself. I have never promoted smoking or alcohol, and I tend to avoid swearing... small things that have made the 2000 people camped from 8 PM the day before the opening of our Milan pop-up to always be orderly and composed. It is the desire to communicate a sort of “behavioral code”, because those who buy clothing are also buying a story», Sante says, who has built his entire image around the idea of education and the transmission of positive values. There is no trace of the desire for rebellion seen in Corteiz, nor the pirate spirit of early Supreme or the naive spirit of Nude Projects (the only brand with which 545 has collaborated to date). There are people who recognize themselves in the lifestyle promoted by a 27-year-old Italian guy who makes normality his strength, as much as he shuns the classic fashion clichés, as well as the canonical idea of a brand: «I created a reality that never had big money or investments behind it. I started with a budget for 100 caps and 100 T-shirts and then everything evolved quickly, without me even noticing. Now we are considering opening a physical space, a meeting place for the community. Not a place where you go to buy a T-shirt and go home».

«Selling streetwear to America is totally counterproductive. Italy is compelling, they have an almost idyllic conception of a country that dresses well, that eats well and I believe part of my job is also to try to tell that way of living, which is very real for me»

Fivefourfive was born during the pandemic, from Sante's desire to capitalize on many years of unbridled passion for streetwear, a time he lived in its heyday, when it was easy to be obsessed: «During high school, my friends would go out for an aperitif while I was at home, taking pictures among the shelves, arranging looks to post on Instagram. With the arrival of the pandemic, I had to look in the mirror, think about what to do with my future, and realize that influencer marketing might have been pulling its weight, but for how long?». He then transformed his posting time, 5.45 pm, into the name of what was initially his merch and which quickly turned into a brand: «At the beginning, most people bought because of me as Sante, but over time, with a more serious approach to production and Made in Italy, I’m not saying we’ve managed to reach a 50-50 balance between those who buy for me and those for the brand itself, but we are getting close. And this for us is a great result». Part of the growth, in addition to dedication, stems from a certain narrative of Italian-ness that is popular in the States. «Selling streetwear to America is totally counterproductive. Italy is compelling, they have an almost idyllic conception of a country that dresses well, that eats well and I believe part of my job is also to try to tell that way of living, which is very real for me», Luca recounts.

«I have never been a die-hard fan of a certain idea of fashion. At parties, I prefer a pizza with friends, who are perhaps the same people I work with. Now I am trying to improve my work-life balance, focusing on sports, which is my biggest passion. I think I don't even have the time to keep up with the world of fashion, and that's perfectly fine»

The story of Luca Santeramo and of 545 is after all a normal story, of a boy born with the myth of Virgil Abloh and then grown, to become a true entrepreneur: «Many decide to license the brand to live peacefully, they take the money and become creative directors. I chose not to do that and I realize that from the outside it might also be hard to understand the concerns that doing business can provoke, from logistics to accounting. Behind every single tee that is marketed there is a world, about forty people involved in various capacities, people who must be paid and work in utmost tranquility». The story of fivefourfive is not a discovery, it is the way streetstyle has emerged from the unrepeatable bubble of 2017 and evolved into something more concrete, real, and sustainable. Direct to consumer, careful communication, and coherence aiming at identification with an entire lifestyle. On a clearly different scale, it is the same idea behind Aime Leon Dore, Kith, and several other brands that have decided, some by choice, some out of necessity, to try alternative paths. 545 shuns the idiosyncrasies of the fashion industries, travels in a universe closer to that of its typical consumer, who may also be young and from the provinces, but who in those adjectives finds pride and a sense of belonging: «I have never been a die-hard fan of a certain idea of fashion. At parties, I prefer a pizza with friends, who are perhaps the same people I work with. Now I am trying to improve my work-life balance, focusing on sports, which is my biggest passion. I think I don't even have the time to keep up with the world of fashion, and that's perfectly fine».

Photographer Federico Gea
MUAH Edoardo Bacigalupi
Interview Francesco Abazia