A child's dream, interview with The Chilipepper

More than a store, The Chilipepper can be effectively defined as an institution of Italian street culture. From Calabria, Stefano Nava's dream has taken shape over the years, becoming from 2005 to today a point of reference for the local community capable of resisting everything and everyone. Before the fashions The Chilipepper was there, but above all it is now, thanks to its experience and its unique background. What allowed him to launch his own merch and open his archive, an eye on his founder's personal collection to retrace the story of his passion item after item. Precisely for this reason we asked Stefano Nava, owner of The Chilipepper, a few questions to talk about his store, the world of sneakers and his passion.

Where did The Chilipepper come from?

It was my dream as a child: to have stores where I can sell everything I like. In 2005 I opened the first store, The Chilipepper LAB. Lab because it was in effect an experimental laboratory. In the first few years we struggled a bit to meet the expectations we had set ourselves despite the positive signs of evolution. The Chilipepper Bassa Store was born in 2015, not the usual sneakers store but a captivating container where you can buy a series of products that I love and that you would never imagine to find next to a blazer: tuna in oil, dash detergent , licorice, toothpaste, bergamot perfume etc ... In 2018 we opened a third store: TCP Boutique, an innovative space that reflects the speed of change and offers the customer a new shopping experience.

What does it mean to open a store in a city like Reggio Calabria virtually far from the center of the scene?

As far as Reggio Calabria is from the scene, now we are all virtually connected. Initially it was not easy, in 2005 the city was still far from the concept of streetwear and we were labeled as weird and different. But we liked this a lot and continued persistently because we knew we were on the right track. The road that has led us to be today a point of reference for the young people of our city who are in effect citizens of the world.

How did the idea of creating your merch come about?

In 2015 we produced the first white t-shirt with a small The Chilipepper lettering at the bottom left. We did it to have fun without too many pretensions, but we immediately perceived that the success and the demand had arisen from a strong sense of belonging to our world. So we developed the merch in a wide range of products and colors. Today the TCP merch represents the synthesis of a spontaneous path, the metaphor of a significant moment in which our local community expands thanks to social media. We work in synergy with our territory with a view to sustainability not only of an environmental nature but above all social and cultural, this is the engine of our merch.

You have recently opened The Chilipepper Archive, what can you tell us about it?

The Chilipepper Archive is a bit like showing what's under the tip of the iceberg. What you see of The Chilipepper is very little compared to what it actually is. Everything comes from my passion for sneakers. In my life I have collected many sneakers and I have always dreamed of being able to show these pieces of history and tell the meaning they have and the historical period to which they belong. Thanks to social media, I have the opportunity to share the archive with a community of fans like me. At the same time it is a very personal way of telling how we are and why we do all this.

Your online store has been online for a few weeks, what does it mean today for a reality like yours to be able to go outside the city limits?

This is our second online store, the need to renovate arose from the need to always offer new services to our customers who are constantly growing thanks to the company's digitalization process implemented since the early years. Being able to go outside the city limits for a reality like ours means only one thing: reward. Our search for international brands and the passion for the product are recognized outside the territory and appreciated precisely for the unusual context in which they are placed. We think that nowadays in any place you are with a clear global vision and always current you can reach anyone, this is the greatest reward for those who have ideas.

To celebrate the launch of the new website The Chilipepper recommends five items to buy online, to do so, he is giving away a €300 voucher to spend on the online shop. Winning is easy, just take part in the giveaway on the Instagram profile of nss magazine.