6 Italian creators to look out for in 2019

As we look back at 2018, it’s unsurprising that the media was flooded with news of the Italian “royal” Ferragnez wedding, Michael Kors buying Versace for over $2 billion, and Dolce & Gabbana’s infamous apology to the Chinese public. We figured that the best way to put all that behind us was by celebrating up-and-coming artists for the new year ahead of us. Since discovering new talent might be an overwhelming ordeal, we’ve rounded up a list of Italian creators to look out for in 2019:

Toni Brugnoli

Don’t you wish you had a friend that photographed all those nights bantering around ’til 4AM? Spend a night kicking it with Milanese photographer Toni Brugnoli and you might find a picture of yourself featured at his COUNTING BREAD exhibition hosted by Spazio Futura. Having previously worked on projects with Nike and Napapijri, 2019 is projected to be a big year for Brugnoli thanks to his first successful solo exhibition. Don’t be alarmed by the graphic nature of his photographs— we all secretly wish we could spend our weekends counting our stacks of cash, graffitiing our local bars, eating pizza and getting tattoos we’ll eventually regret.

Vegas Jones

24 year old Matteo Privitera, famously known as Vegas Jones, is the Italian answer to the worldwide trap music market. Garnering over 1.3 million monthly Spotify listeners and 79 million views on YouTube, it’s fair to say that Jones’ 2019 trajectory is off to a good start. His pseudonym pays homage to two of his favorite cultural icons: Pulp Fiction’s infamous hitman Vincent Vega and musical icon Nasir Jones. Contrary to his lyrical content, Jones has one message for all his listeners; “If you believe you can achieve, nobody can tell you otherwise.” If you enjoyed his hit single Malibu, currently sitting at 36 million views on YouTube, chances are you’ll love his latest release, 1000 Domande. 

Jacopo De Carli

Ever wondered how all these influencers sport custom Off-White colorways or how those 2014 Red Octobers look fresh out of the box? Bespoke shoe customizer and restorer Jacopo De Carli is the answer to all your questions. Back in 2015, devoted sneakerhead De Carli discovered a gap in this niche market: “I realized that there were no professional renovators”, he mentioned in an nss interview earlier this year. His first successful venture was the ‘DCJ Sneakers Cleaner’ — an approved product amongst the streetstyle community around Italy. 2018, however, proved to be an explosive year for the artist after having a pair of his custom Off-White’s featured on their official page,  made with the co-founder Vgoghi. With an exciting range of upcoming collaborations and customization, sneakerheads around the world have plenty to look forward to in 2019.

Peeta

Venetian graffiti artist Manuel Di Rita, commonly known as Peeta, puts all the controversy around street art to rest by creating mesmerizing murals that can undisputedly be appreciated by all. Spanning urban landscapes around the world, Peeta’s “aim is always to create a dialogue with the structural and cultural parameters of the surrounding context.” His aesthetic focuses of the sculptural quality of individual letters, describing it as “a temporary interruption of normality”. As a result of his massive success, he later moved into more conventional art mediums translating them into sculptures and paintings. His towering murals can be found in Spain, Indonesia, China, Poland, the Netherlands, and all across Italy.

Serena Caponera

It’s hard to imagine that tattoo artist Serena Caponera came from a scientific IT background. Growing up with a love for the arts, she eventually decided to follow her dreams of expressing herself through the form of tattooing. Drawing inspiration form artists like Marinetti and Depero as well as vintage futurist posters, the most evident artistic era manifested in her personal tattooing style is Art Nouveau. According to an earlier interview, Caponera follows two fundamental rules: “I want my style to always be recognizable and, above all, never banal.” In achieving that, she managed to secure a spot as a guest artist at Bang Bang NYC, which is practically a right of passage for all tattoo artists. You can find her at Scrimshaw Tattoo at her private studio in Rome.

Luca Magliano

Self-described as quintessentially Italian, young designer Luca Magliano’s eponymous fashion brand already has a distinguished accolade under his belt. Winner of the ninth edition of WHO IS ON NEXT? UOMO, Pitti’s scouting project that seeks out new Italian talents in men’s fashions, the panel of judges describe Magliano’s aesthetic as “an undisputed contemporaneity, a mix of genderless accents and military inspirations with an ironic twist.” Under Pitti’s expert mentorship, his most recent collection, covered by nss earlier this year, proved to be an astounding success. For the first time, Magliano debuted its latest F/W 2019-2020 collection during Men’s Fashion Week.