Maria Turi has no interest in business as usual. She’s distinctive and happy to stay that way. For Turi, who makes her clothes by hand in Verona, the ideal scenario would be to “take the little bags to a store [she likes] and show the collection there. Because that possibility is remote, the designer has moved her spring collection to Paris. (Her decision to show her latest collection near the Picasso Museum seems like fate, as her hair is draped over her head and her dark eyes are sparkling, just like the painter’s 1900 portrait of her sister Lola.)
Since we first met in 2018 when I was on the Show Who’s Next? jury (Turri was a co-winner of the Franca Sozzani Prize), the designer had children and had also added menswear to her offering. The spring season saw several dresses with interesting backs, including one with fabric that slanted down the middle of the back, and another with folded straps that hung halters that extended to bust height. Another laced number required assistance to get into. Heavy, low-waisted dresses are iconic, so a white bodysuit with vertical pleats was unexpected. As far as tailoring goes, there was a long jacket with a single tie at the neck and a house jacket with low-crotch trousers. The most striking look, in my opinion, was a fitted jacket with an 18th-century silhouette, made of 100-year-old hemp fabric, which instantly looked like a family heirloom.
As he did in 2018, Turi explained to the American what Made in Italy means in a different way. Although the designer uses manual techniques (he sews with a machine and a needle and thread), the end result is not “perfect”. It is a difference of aesthetics and also a difference of values. As Tuli’s husband and translator says, “She does not do it to promote growth, but rather it is a way to express her creativity, which has nothing to do with the market, she wanted to keep it that way it was a small collection, and Maria did not want too many stores, but rather just a few, so she could keep it private and have a personal contact with her customers, adding that her goals are not “material”; the most important thing is that people understand and enjoy each piece and feel happy. #goals.
