10 Polaroids: Marco Zanini Captures His Italian Trip

10 Polaroids: Marco Zanini Captures His Italian Trip — in Polaroids

November 30, 2017

Supported by

10 Polaroids

The designer for Santoni documents his excursion to Italy’s Marche region exclusively for T.

By Isabel Wilkinson

Nov. 30, 2017

Marco Zanini, the designer behind Santoni, is a man of many inspirations: He is influenced by everything from Brutalist architecture to children’s toys, all of which he documents religiously on his Instagram account.

But for a recent work trip from his home base of Milan to the small town of Corridonia in the country’s Marche region, Zanini did something out of the ordinary: He brought along a Polaroid camera, and captured what he saw over three days of meetings, fittings and factory visits exclusively with T. (He even took a break for some chocolate.)

“To extensively travel between workshops and factories is my way of doing my job: As a designer I always seek direct contact and one-to-one exchange of ideas with artisans, pattern-makers and seamstresses,” he says. “In my opinion, fashion is about teamwork, and I believe that the designer shouldn’t live aloof in his or her ivory tower… I always prefer to be on the front line!”

Milan, 7:30 a.m., Nov. 8: “Being a fashion designer means to be on the road all the time. Fast and very slow trains, cars (fast and slow), planes; just any means of transportation to reach factories and workshops.”

Ancona, 11:30 a.m., Nov. 8: “More travel. It’s an ‘If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain’ kind of thing …”

Corridonia, 1 p.m., Nov. 8: “In this sort of routine, your trolley is your best friend (and, on occasion, a practical coat hanger, too).”

Corridonia, 3 p.m., Nov. 8: “At Santoni, handmade truly means handmade.”

Fano, 11 a.m., Nov. 9: “Being a male designer designing men’s wear also means you can try on your own stuff, which is rather fun (at least for me — since I had only designed women’s wear from the time I started in the business).”

Fano,5 p.m., Nov. 9: “A sugar rush is a welcome treat, especially in the middle of an intense fitting.”

Fano, 8 a.m., Nov. 10: “Working with Santoni brings me to Adriatic seaside towns all year round: Any beach on a chilly November morning looks deserted, suspended and somehow ghostly.”

Fano, 8:15 a.m., Nov. 10: “This picture recalls the lyrics of song I very, very much love (‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’ by Morrissey: ‘…This is the coastal town that they forgot to close down…’).”