SAPOPA: TAILORED AND MADE IN ITALY ACTIVE-WEAR

Elegance, tailoring and active-wear can live together? This is the question that lingers for a few seasons on the catwalks of all the fashion capitals. And it is the trend that is depopulating from pseudo-bloggers to Hollywood stars. It is therefore a global phenomenon. Sapopa, emerging brand born from the encounter between Piero Righetto and Maria Elena Ghisolfi seems to give the precise answer. The duo presented successfully at White Show, during Milan fashion week, the first spring / summer 2016 collection that will be launched in January next year.

Interview with Piero Righetto:

When and why did you decide to found Sapopa?

I like to think that we “sought” more than simply met: we have found the right partner to mutually undertake a new business, developing our brand that is an expression of our expertise in processing and human emotions. From the beginning our product vision, communication of the same and the market opportunities have become one, a single design. We would have never thrown into such an adventure if we were not certain whether the chemical potential of the professional level of team-work of our two characters. I returned to Italy after two years of collaboration with american’s sports brand, leder, globally in the active-wear sector. Elena, charging a global vision of the fashion market, sought inspiration from its different working environment wanting to bet on a project that felt completely outset. The meeting took place through a mutual friend while hiking in alpine skiing. We were both inspired by the world of active-wear, personally on the technical side, she from an aesthetic/functional. We spent the day sharing points of view and opinions, of course discovering what our visions have a common denominator strong and decisive. There, at 1800 meters above sea level, with a smile and with a little romance, I like to think it did the first spark which has then led to the creation of Sapopa.

Why did you choose this particular name for the brand?

The slogan is: << Sapopa as everyday approach through instinct >>. From an early age I had the passion of the ancient texts. I was always excited of the fact to read something that was handed down by a civilization before ours. Thanks also to my grandfather Pietro, I still remember his look, his eyes, his voice, his gestures as he told me the story of King Ptolemy who built the library of Alexandria. It is said that on the orders of this king, all ships that stopped in the port had to be searched by soldiers, who had the task of confiscating all the books found were copied to and intended to enrich the greatest work of diffusion of knowledge ever conceived . Also, it is said that all other goods (gold, jewels) were not in the least taken into account: the prey was the most valuable knowledge. He repeated to me: << if two men know each one thing and share it, after, they both know two >>. The name comes from Sapopa everything: a passion, a game, from myths and legends, by habit and by the continuous search for knowledge. As a child I came across this text in which the term was described Sapopa man’s ability to approach life, to everyday, when relying on his instincts. He fascinated me right from the start the concept overshadow rationality, cognitive thinking, mental processing of our actions, to be watching, observing and interacting with the world through this pure elemental force, a kind of emotional intelligence. Sapopa through its collection is intended as a celebration of instinct as a living force: embrace the unknown, a philosophy of life.

Describe Sapopa with five adjectives.

Real, Italian, consistent, tailored and different.

Today acrtive-wear declined on several occasions, also by night, it is very popular. Sapopa, how is it different from the other brands?

Since the beginning, we shared how important it was to differentiate the main competitors in the market through a product that combines the quality of made in Italy with Italian art of tailoring. Indeed, we are the first to apply a concept of tailoring the world of active-wear. Sapopa is an expression of consistency between technical materials used, tailoring to conceive a unique fit and high aesthetic definition. Born as a mix of two factors: intuition and provocation. From the standpoint of intuition, Sapopa aims to fill the gap in the market of active-wear with a product which fulfills both the need for performance during physical activity that the request to wear a garment elegant in of view of aesthetics. Made in Italy as we share we mean research and development, quality and attention to detail; but also excitement in the creation of something that only we Italians do. And finally dream and find meticulously each variable to achieve this dream, as well as being true and consistent with its scope, means not flaunt with unnecessary details but rather to extrapolate the purest nature and a real product. The first collection is inspired by the elegance of movement, freedom of expression and physical purity transmitted by noble fabrics. All buyers met found that every single item is consistent and credible in a context of physical activity, and at the same time is extremely interesting even if worn in a social environment as it differs from the logic of active-wear so far in the present market .

Sapopa will be launched on the market in January. What are your expectations? Do you already have in mind a specific target?

At the retail level, our first collection will be present at selected boutiques and department stores, as Beymen, a major department store in Turkey, Penelope in Italian and upscale shops in Monaco and in the rest of Europe. The second collection we also strive to markets in the US, Asia and Japan. We plan to open tem retail stores in the international arena over the next three years, which will be present in Milan, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Moscow, New York and Los Angeles. Sapopa want to create with their customers a strong sense of belonging, involvement and challenge of community communication through logic applied in the shops themselves: the concept of community Sapopa differs from the competition of the big names in the market because they do not want to be a Pure and simple marketing variable, but create a strong cohesion among a group of people with the same social vision, sharing values, passions and ways of being.

Future projects?

The main objective of the Sapopa’s community is not so much to bring together people to run together or share a yoga class, but to have an alternative in dealing with style, technique and instinct everyday.

sapopa.com

ph courtesy: press office