“I can’t imagine Giuseppe Zanotti without Giuseppe, but it’s a question of ego, we know it doesn’t work like that”. His creative heir could be Nicolò Beretta, 28, whom the entrepreneur from San Mauro Pascoli (Forlì-Cesena) has taken under his protective wing. Indeed, he has entrusted him with the “Nicolò Beretta mentored by Giuseppe Zanotti” Autumn-Winter 2023-2024 collection. Why did Zanotti choose Beretta? The answer comes from an interesting double interview published by Vogue Italia.
In search of an heir
“I think Giuseppe”, Nicolò Beretta tells Vogue Italia, “recognises my fresh approach to footwear. I try to take this job lightly and spontaneously, I want to have fun. And then I think he appreciates my desire to do and put myself out there”. Vogue Italia highlights the common traits of the two creative generations, but also the inevitable differences. The first shoe that made Giuseppe Zanotti’s heart beat was an extra-large boot worn by Janis Joplin on an album cover. “I had no idea I wanted to do this job”, confesses the designer from Romagna. For Nicolò Beretta, on the other hand, the first shoe, the one you never forget, was “Cinderella’s crystal shoe”.
Creative or entrepreneur?
Does a creative person have what it takes to be a good entrepreneur? “The role of a creative person risked making me make missteps and glaring mistakes from a financial point of view. Then, I realised I needed support, and this reality was transformed. From 15 we became 90, and then even 700. Today we are 500”, Zanotti explains. Beretta’s vision is more contemporary and the child of social media. “I believe that, in addition to being entrepreneurs of your own company, today you also need to be entrepreneurs of yourself and your image”.
Advice for young people
To young people, “I advise them to rely on their own hands, to throw themselves into the void and look at the world from a different perspective. It is not important to be able to make a technically perfect drawing, but to be able to transmit vibrations through that sketch”, Zanotti observes. For Beretta, “if you choose to be independent, you have to be aware, emotionally prepared. Fashion schools often fail to give students a concrete idea of the world of work. It is essential not to be phagocytised by a system that burns everything out quickly”.
Read also:
