Fashion History, Personal Anecdotes Intertwine in Carla Sozzani’s Book

MILAN — Azzedine Alaïa, Romeo Gigli, Anna Piaggi, Paolo Roversi and, of course, Franca Sozzani: the life of Carla Sozzani is punctuated with these and many more names and encounters that have shaped not only her personal trajectory but helped write the history of fashion at-large.

A new book titled “Carla Sozzani: Arte, vita, moda” aims to retrace key chapters of both via Sozzani’s biography, compiled through her words collected by author Louise Baring; sketches; illustrations, and exclusive pictures that offer a glimpse into her life as well as map cultural changes and the evolution of the industry since the ‘60s.

Published by Thames & Hudson in its international version and L’ippocampo in Italy, the 288-page tome particularly spotlights Sozzani’s talent as an aggregator of different worlds, from fashion and photography to art and hospitality, mirroring the many ventures she’s embarked on during her life. These ranged from her beginnings in publishing at fashion magazines to founding the legendary 10 Corso Como concept store in Milan and, most recently, establishing Fondazione Sozzani.

The book was presented on Thursday at the Triennale Milano museum, further highlighting the multidisciplinary approach Sozzani has always had. The event also marked the beginning of a collaboration between Fondazione Sozzani and the newly launched fashion department at Triennale Milano.

Shy by nature, Sozzani thanked Baring for her “infinite patience” and “for managing to have me talk about things I’ve never told anyone.”

The author said the genesis of the project was her fascination with Milan but an encounter with Sozzani enabled by photographer Sarah Moon fueled her interest in Sozzani’s work. During a launch at 10 Corso Como in 2018, Baring eventually brought up the idea of writing a book about her, but Sozzani stalled for some time. 

“So it was a very long process, and the focus became less on Milan and much more about Carla because her life has been so remarkable and fascinating,” Baring said. The author highlighted the upbringing of the Sozzani sisters and the role of their father, who “unlike a lot of men of that generation brought up these two girls with an extraordinary high standard of education and discipline.”

Needless to say, a key part of the book is Sozzani’s relationship with her younger sister Franca, the longtime Vogue Italia editor in chief who died in 2016. 

“She was like my twin. We influenced each other,” Sozzani said. “We had our ups and downs, moments in which we didn’t speak and others when we talked too much, but we’ve always had the same point of view on many things….We shared houses and thought the one in Marrakech would have become the one where we would have spent our old age. It didn’t happen. But our dream was to be always together.”

The book retraces Sozzani’s full life, including a trip to London she took in her 20s and that eventually influenced her career.

“London at that time was something completely different. It was so colorful and so unconventional compared to Milan…and I think she managed to bring back some of that excitement to Milan when she started working in fashion magazines,” Baring said.

Sozzani recalled the meeting with Willie Landels, art director of the-then Queen magazine, as the moment she grasped the beauty of narrating the world of fashion. Her involvement in publishing later included experiences at titles like Chérie Moda, Vogue and Elle and via mentors like Italian photographer Alfa Castaldi and his wife Anna Piaggi.

“They represented two completely different worlds,” Sozzani said. “A man of extraordinary culture, Alfa taught me irony and to look at things with a little bit of distance, without getting too involved….Anna taught me fashion but also freedom. She applied it on herself and showed me how to be completely free, too.”

Yet that same spirit cost her her job at Elle Italia, the title she was called to direct in 1986. “I wanted to do the most beautiful magazine in the world, so I wanted the likes of Bruce Weber and Paolo Roversi, I went in a completely different direction,” she said. “I was fired after three issues. They were probably too beautiful,” she added with a laugh.

Sozzani was fired after releasing a cover portraying an Alaïa black dress by Roversi, “Two mortal sins: having a dress by a foreign designer and a blurred picture as a cover,” she joked. “But I was also fired because advertising was starting to become very important for magazines. You either followed what advertisers wanted or couldn’t do what you wanted,” Sozzani said.

But the exit from Elle Italia turned out to be a blessing, as Sozzani redirected her attention toward a new project and founded legendary store 10 Corso Como, transforming a former garage into a retail and cultural mecca in Milan.

Founded in 1990 and inaugurated the following year, the location pioneered a retail concept that blended fashion, design, beauty and books in its retail floors; art and photography in its exhibition space, and hospitality via a café and restaurant as well as a three-room-only hotel. All the while, it also contributed to the development of its neighborhood. 

“For me, it was a consequence of my previous experiences,” Sozzani said about the store, which in September 2020 was acquired by Tiziana Fausti. “It was about that wish a journalist has of communicating and showing everything she believes is beautiful and that can convey emotions. It was like putting together a living magazine: instead of glossy pages, I had [furniture] and dresses.

“It wasn’t a marketing project but one made with total passion and love, and that’s what I believe people have always felt. It was my home, not a store. It was quite the opposite of a store,” she added.

Looking back, Sozzani said her biggest satisfaction was the more than 300 exhibitions she staged since opening the gallery space, which enabled her to meet many artists, bring great photographers to Italy for the first time and create an open environment for a Milanese and international audience in town. 

“It’s all about that desire of communication I had at the beginnings and I continue to have, because there’s nothing better than sharing, learning and giving. Life is an exchange,” Sozzani said. “At the end, my true passion has always been to share….Working in magazines, you work on projects, not on yourself. You work with people and do stuff together. That’s what will always make me enthusiastic.”

She shared this generous spirit with Alaïa, the man she considers her second mentor.

“I’ve been so lucky to have met him, he gave me so much in terms of friendship, affection, sense of freedom and of duty, integrity and determination,” Sozzani said about the 40-year-long relationship with the late couturier. She recalled his humanity, the way he used to gather different personalities around a table and cook for everyone, as well as his unique skill of “talking with the eyes” and getting understood even when language was a barrier. 

“He was outside what has become a star system. Today the designer is a distant person that has a jet-set life, not one of solitude. But creation is solitude,” Sozzani said. “He used to say: ‘every morning I wake up and want to understand what I’m learning today.’ And he was right, every day teaches us something. And he taught me so much on both the professional and human sides.”

For one, Alaïa showed Sozzani the importance of collecting clothes. “When he started doing it, there wasn’t even the concept of an archive like we mean it today,” she said. “I will never get to reach the size of his collection but he taught me how to do it [with the goal] to pass down the knowledge to new generations and give them access to clothes to look at and learn from, not only in an academic way but by actually touching them with their hands. This is kind of rare because not many schools give students the chance to touch pieces from Vionnet, Cristobal Balenciaga or Christian Dior.”

In addition to her work for Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, which she helped establish with the designer and Christoph von Weyhe in 2007, she launched Fondazione Sozzani in 2016. This also collaborates with schools and institutions to promote fashion and arts, beyond showcasing new talents and staging exhibitions across disciplines.