Slow fashion
- Simone designed his own handloom
- He uses natural and eco-friendly fibres
- His patterns and motifs are geometrical
Curious and talented, after experimenting with various crafts and restoration, Simone Falli fell for weaving. Born in Tuscany in 1988, he has chosen to live in Certaldo, in the countryside nearby to Florence where he founded his atelier, Ozio - Piccolo Studio Tessile. Simone designed and built his own personal wooden handloom, to create the geometrical patterns of his fabrics, using only natural fibres such as cotton and linen, soft Merino and light Alpaca wools. Simone’s aesthetic research and technical experimentation are deeply intertwined with his ethical choice to follow an environmentally sustainable life and his love of nature. In his workshop, he produces fashion accessories, foulards, scarves, handbags, book covers and fabrics.
INTERVIEW
After various jobs travelling throughout Europe, I worked in restoration for a couple of years, developing an aesthetic sense and the desire for a creative job. I began handweaving seven years ago, learning the basics of the craft from my uncle.
The craft is ancient and my taste is contemporary. I would say I am inspired by the Japanese culture, by its imagery, in every field. I particularly appreciate ceramics. I love geometrical patterns and I am working to create more complex models.
For me tradition is the method, which gives me the instruments: I mean the handloom and the natural fibres. But the aesthetics have to be updated and fashionable to be appreciated by customers.
On the one hand there is a lot of interest in handweaving, there are many young handweavers, especially women, willing to make a career out of it. But the pandemic had a very heavy impact on artisan businesses in Italy, there is a need for more protection.
