| By Elena Sendona on March 1, 2025 |
Fashion is often described as a language, but for it is more of an evolving dialogue—one that unfolds through fabric, structure, and unexpected experimentation. At the heart of his FW25/26 collection, In Alto Mare, is a sense of fluidity, disorientation, and transformation, inspired by the interplay between freshwater and saltwater environments. With a design philosophy that merges romanticism and raw minimalism, Affinito crafts garments that are not just worn but experienced—pieces that shift, adapt, and surprise
In this exclusive interview, he delves into the process of reinterpreting textures and structures, his passion for zero-waste techniques, and the delicate balance between functionality and artistic vision. From woven creels reimagined as sculptural silhouettes to jacquard fabrics mimicking water droplets, Affinito shares how intuition, trial, and even error shape the collections of art259design, proving that fashion is not just about aesthetics but about evoking emotion and curiosity.
The FW25/26 collection, In Alto Mare, explores a sense of disorientation and fluidity. How did your personal experiences influence this narrative?
My own experiences have a huge impact on what I try to express in my collections, even though it’s a process that happens completely unconsciously. I’m glad to know that this collection expresses all that, because disorientation is really the word that best sums up this period of mine.
You reference the contrast between fresh and saltwater in your designs. What does this duality represent for you on a conceptual level?
In this collection I’ve taken up some past work, and the initial idea was to create two collections in one, freshwater and saltwater, focusing on river/sea fishing and their differences in tones, sensations, shapes and scents, but above all personality. I decided to carry on a part of the project in this collection by dissecting the figure of the saltwater man. There’ll definitely be a follow-up where I look at freshwater fishing, so I can wrap up the whole project. For now, I’ll just give you a taste of what’s to come, to get you thinking one way or the other.
The imagery of fishing gear and marine textures plays a key role in this collection. What drew you to these elements, and how did you translate them into fashion?
It was a natural process where I took the shapes that I thought were most interesting and, above all, could best match the materials. The creel was the idea that got everything going and I think it’s the best bit of the collection because I didn’t just take its shape, I totally reworked it in the world to make the concept of the cage with its weaves and knots as clear as possible. The creels cross each other in a way that enhances the curves of the body and, at the same time, gives a feeling of protection and familiarity.
Your work often plays with volumes and organic silhouettes. How do you approach designing pieces that feel structured yet fluid?
Before I start working on a collection, I play around with the fabric to see how to respect and enhance it. It takes a while, but the material usually suggests the best way, and it’s always in really different and unexpected ways, with possible mistakes and/or unexpected events.
The use of garza fabric mimicking fishing nets and corduroy simulating fish scales is both poetic and technical. Can you walk us through your fabric selection process?
I absolutely love the fabric selection process. It’s quick and easy, and involves checking out a bunch of fabrics to find the ones that will close the circle. It’s during this process that I usually find the inspiration I need to get started. For example, when I touched the long-pile velvet, I noticed that the texture reminded me of fish scales. The large ribs and colour just sealed the deal. So, it was a no-brainer to go for a gauze-effect wool to make it look like a net, a drop-effect jaquard fabric that looks wet, and organza with metal that captures the energy of the sea with its natural waves and transparency.
Many of your garments, such as the long skirts that double as dresses, allow for multiple styling options. How important is versatility in your work?
I love the idea of giving multiple keys to interpretation. It’s a game that fascinates me and lets me explore the form in its entirety. I don’t do it all the time, but when I feel the need, it’s like an extra tool that can add value every now and then.If it became the rule, it would be obvious and forced. But I do think it can be really important for our dealers to have an extra argument to help them win over the customer.I don’t think we’re risking compromising the artistic vision, and actually I think it’d be the opposite. I couldn’t do without this way of working.
The collection features zero-waste techniques and upcycled pieces from past designs. What challenges do you face in maintaining sustainability without compromising artistic vision?
I’m a big believer in minimizing waste and reusing everything, because there are endless ways of applying it and it gives new life to day-to-day projects. I don’t usually reuse materials that have already been used or waste from old collections, except for the leather project. I almost always change the materials for each collection, so I have to design each collection so that it is circular and ends with the collection itself.
But it’s only natural that some of the final pieces end up being reused in season for re-assortments or small capsules that are exclusively for our shops.
The FW25/26 collection integrates tailored workwear with exaggerated volumes. How do you balance the functionality of workwear with the romanticism of high fashion?
I’ve got two sides to me: one’s more romantic, the other’s harder and more essential. I’m always fighting between the two, trying to make them both work together, but I don’t want either one to win. I think that’s the key to not taking a collection or a garment too seriously. You’ve got to think outside the box when it comes to what you can do with a fabric or a shape. It’s easy to take a fluid fabric and make a dress out of it, or vice versa, to take a more structured fabric and make a sculpture out of it. But what makes a garment different and unique is being able to give an unexpected reading of the volume you would expect to see or touch.
The textural elements of the collection, such as jacquard imitating water droplets on the shore, add depth to the garments. How do you see texture shaping the emotional response to clothing?
I think the texture really works well for the whole thing because it’s easy to read and it adds a touch of irony and elegance that’s always needed to keep it light.
Given your continued experimentation with materiality and form, what new techniques or inspirations do you hope to explore in upcoming collections and what’s the overall mission of your brand for the future?
I don’t usually think about future experimentation, as I think it would block the creative process. I just go with my gut and start, and then I think about what I’m doing and what I can or can’t do.For me, experimenting means getting stuck in and making a mess. It’s about finding new ways by trying and trying again, making mistakes and fixing them over and over.
I see error as a part of the process, not as something to be avoided, but as a way of letting myself be guided by chance. It’s a way of making things happen that involves trying out lots of different ideas, turning them over in my mind, and taking the ones that I’ve had a fleeting thought about and giving them shape. Most of the time, I only have a rough idea of what I want to achieve; everything else is down to unknown and uncontrollable factors, always new, the result of moods and a thousand other things that come together at a given moment. I think that at the basis of my mission, there’s a constant desire to amaze myself and those who look at the collections. Those who decide to buy one of my garments must be amazed and excited.
If they’re not, I haven’t done my job.
