On Instagram, Lucilla Beccaria and her sisters Lucrezia and Luna posted a short video they filmed while quarantined at their grandmother’s country house. Called “Live The Simple Life,” it depicted the girls leisurely playing backgammon in the garden, watering plants and vegetables, collecting the linens hung out to dry in the sun. It looked a bit like an Italian lockdown version of Little Women. “Our family life became even more important during the confinement,” said Lucilla during a showroom appointment. “We are a big tight-knit clan; we’ve always believed in true values. Authenticity, the respect for nature and what comes from the earth, the love for what our country has to offer to the world.”
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Archives have become an important asset for designers in confinement; reflecting on one’s history has been a shared mindset in the fashion community to propel creativity forward, as well as an opportunity to trigger a more mindful approach to design. “Pieces from the archive should be labeled with their date of birth, as are artworks from painters or sculptors,” said Luisa Beccaria on the phone from her home in Sicily, where she spent the lockdown. “They’re full of memories and are custodians of time. As creatives, we should treasure them and celebrate the hard work and the people—the artisans, the makers—who’ve brought them to life.”
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The Beccarias put their archive to good use for an edited resort collection, repurposing and upcycling a series of beautiful fabrics—chiffons, broderie anglaises, floral gazars. Their romantic best-ofs were refreshed with a lighter everyday touch; comfort and ease were added to the graceful silhouettes they favor, as in an ankle-grazing wrap dress in baby blue striped cotton-stretch. It looked suitable for both a bicycle run to the local organic market and a country party. A one-piece printed bathing suit could moonlight as an evening top via two flowing matching silk scarves tied at the straps.
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Bouquets of wildflowers were printed on delicate flimsy dresses: “Now more than ever, nature is so comforting; it has always been part of our family life,” said Luisa. Their Sicilian estate, called Feudo di Castelluccio, has produced almonds and olive oil for generations: “Our brand and our lifestyle are elegant, but they’re basically simple, very close to the values that really matter. We cherish domestic rituals and all the poetry that goes into keeping them alive,” she said. “Brands have to express honesty and consistency in order to be meaningful—and to survive.”
