We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative FFOCCO ("FFOCCO").
Innovative Latin American Design FFOCCO | Calm Clothing | is an ethical clothing brand that focuses on introspective activities, not only for its practice but also for reaching and withdrawing. A multidimensional vision in search of innovation, harmony of forms, and continuous improvement. It is produced on a small scale and in an almost artisanal way, with the aim of developing productive and conscious coherence. Investigating with textile materials, it divides into two major universes between the upper garments made of natural fibers, while the lower ones are made of technological fabrics. Production is carried out in model workshops chosen for their quality, commitment, and proximity. The search for sustainability is emphasized, optimizing materials, not using plastic, developing textile compost, or artistic pieces with production waste, in addition to aiming for ZERO waste from cutting and production methods. Emphasizing movement, body temperatures, visual order, and using garments as guides for conscious exercise. The GUIDE collection was born in early 2020, after analyzing which grips would facilitate the postures of a beginner or perfect those of an advanced practitioner. It emerged by introducing guides into the garments. Fasteners that provide security and facilitate conscious breathing. The line of robes and soft clothing has the particularity of not generating waste or discarded scraps. Zero Waste is sought from prints that function as digital patterns, which are then sublimated using sustainable techniques and cut manually. FFOCCO is sold online and in our showroom in Buenos Aires, also known as FFOCCObox, a 3x3x3 cube space, as well as being marketed in strategic retail points in line with the brand's essence. Visual content is created by summoning makers who excel in their craft and profession, who have a reflective activity, such as architects, photographers, artists, writers, ceramists, osteopaths, cooks, and designers, among others. The brand's proposal is valued by discerning customers who make intelligent purchases, avoid impulse buys, seek quality and durability, and value comfortable design. With a philosophy of a peaceful life, visually minimalist, it promotes ecological and ethical awareness.
FFOCCO Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by FFOCCO.
FFOCCO Design - Asana Guide Line Wear Posture Aligner
Designer Interview of FFOCCO:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
FFOCCO : Attentive to ethics and aesthetics, I enjoy textile creation, doing things well, and environmental awareness. I am the daughter of a textile father, a men's shirt manufacturer, and a very fashion-forward grandmother. I have always observed beauty and the harmony of form. I was part of the first generation of designers in my city, which involved a lot of making and learning. I like the industrial aspect and the styling of form. The textile material seduces me with its ability to envelop and communicate.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
FFOCCO : My company is a sole proprietorship located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It has been in operation for 9 years.
DI: What is "design" for you?
FFOCCO : Design for me is about making small, sensitive decisions regarding form, culture, and problem-solving.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
FFOCCO : I enjoy working on material selection, pattern making, and aesthetic production.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
FFOCCO : Working with pleats and folds that are cut so they can go both ways.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
FFOCCO : A perforated leather vest for an experimental design competition.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
FFOCCO : I like working with leather or surfaces that don't require overlocking or finishing to prevent fraying.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
FFOCCO : When I have to solve a construction problem, finding different formal solutions.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
FFOCCO : On the outcome; I can't stop mentally visualizing the result of the product and its use.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
FFOCCO : Exhilaration, fear, and vertigo.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
FFOCCO : I create some distance to evaluate if it turned out as I really imagined, and then I adopt it as my own.
DI: What makes a design successful?
FFOCCO : When the manufacturing workshops love the product, they know before and more than I do if the product is going to work.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
FFOCCO : It's irrational; it makes me stop and understand that it is perfectly harmonious and desirable, something very personal.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
FFOCCO : To work consciously to solve a problem, not to work with the ego of applause and only self-satisfaction.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
FFOCCO : yo creo que el dilema del futuro va a ser alrededor de la selección, el discernimiento, la elección para vivir de forma mas minimalista, con lo imprescindible y los que nos representa
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
FFOCCO : It was in Buenos Aires, with the Sello de Buen Diseno, with my Zero Waste line. I would like to present a collection in Milan, where my grandfather lived.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
FFOCCO : Nature inspires me; I observe insects, flowers, and I like to think about how to deconstruct established forms.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
FFOCCO : Minimalist, functional, and melancholic.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
FFOCCO : I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm not very conscious of how living in Argentina affects me culturally. However, I can say that we don't have access to the same technology or materials, which forces me to be more creative.
DI: How do you work with companies?
FFOCCO : I advise other companies, with frequent meetings, with personal and team proposals.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
FFOCCO : It's interesting to be open to new ideas, someone who works from outside the daily routine of the company and can understand the philosophy and vision.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
FFOCCO : First, understanding the concrete need, then working on the sensitivity and aesthetic message, then looking for materials, thinking about the construction method, and how to visually communicate it.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
FFOCCO : My ceramic house-shaped pieces, a Japanese brush that lifts pencil rubber residue, my natural cosmetics, a metal palm tree, and my bolster for yoga practice.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
FFOCCO : I wake up and practice yoga on an empty stomach, play with my 2 cats, have breakfast, go to the showroom, maybe visit a client or supplier, then have dinner with my partner, and meditate before sleeping.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
FFOCCO : Combining two techniques, making designs appear more complex in appearance than they actually are. I like them to seem impossible to reproduce. My advice is to work with people who have a craft and understand the manufacturing process of things.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
FFOCCO : Positives: Dreamers, feeling and excitement of changing the world. Negatives: Sometimes frustrating when others don't follow along. In the case of being an independent designer, it's important to be creative in the business aspect, not just the aesthetic one.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
FFOCCO : por lo que recomiendo desarrollar también ese aspecto. Regular 25% hacer 25% pensar 25% decir 25% sentir.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
FFOCCO : Wide emotional range, not developing the ego, primarily developing spirituality.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
FFOCCO : I work with paper and pencil, then move on to the Illustrator program.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
FFOCCO : I can't give advice on that; I set goals, but the time doesn't always work out as I would like.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
FFOCCO : It can take 2 months or sometimes more.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
FFOCCO : Every day I ask myself questions, both personally and to make decisions.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
FFOCCO : Working in Madrid with Sybilla and having Shiseido use my designs for an advertisement.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
FFOCCO : They are independent women who seek high-quality design for their introspective practice.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
FFOCCO : Defining the concepts. Because it's the most intellectual part that provides the framework for the proposal.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
FFOCCO : expandir la empresa internacionalmente y dar a conocer mi programa de diseño introspectivo
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
FFOCCO : The designs of my brand are individual. I design alone; I have collaborators who interpret the realization.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
FFOCCO : I want to develop the Guia line; I have some ideas to make production and use more efficient.
DI: How can people contact you?
FFOCCO : by mail info@ffocco.com by IG @ffocco
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
FFOCCO : Thank you for the journey I was able to take during this interview; it was an interesting insight into how I work, to improve and capitalize on.