MACHAS

Leonardoworx for Elena Ghisellini

Elena Ghisellini is one of the hottest name in the fashion accessories world but she’s far from being new to the industry: chances are that you already own or seriously desire a bag the Florentinian designer has created. In fact Elena not just has spearheaded the accessories division at Trussardi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Emilio Pucci but whilst at Givenchy she’s masterminded two of the house most iconic bags, the “Nightingdale” the “Antigona” bag and “Pandora” bag

For the launch of her eponymous new collection Elena contacted Leonardoworx to create a video that would introduce her key bag, the splendid “Felina”, and that could also be projected during two event launches, one in New York and the other at Milan Fashion Week. 

“Elena saw my reel and she wanted to meet”, recall Leonardoworx; “we both live in Florence so I went to her studio and as soon as we started talking about our creative process we immediately found many similarities.”

“She showed me the collection and I was really impressed: the designs were exquisitely original, elegant, geometric and organic at the same time. The concept behind each bag is so strong that it is immediately recognisable as Ghisellini: timeless, contemporary, heartfelt pieces for a charismatic, creative woman who’s in constant evolution and loves nature”, continues Leonardoworx. “It was also really interesting to see that the key aesthetic element of the “Felina” bag is a geometric combination of leather layers, very symmetric, which is quite similar to the themes I’m exploring with my artworks.”

“Since our first meeting I felt that Leonardo was a special artist: sensitive and visionary at the same time.” recall Elena Ghisellini. “His thinking goes Beyond the sensory and tactile dimension. A modern artist who expresses his enthusiasm only through the glance of his eye. I believe that the aim of an artist is not only to become deeply involved in the work that is creating but also to make the viewer interested and make him think but Leonardo did more than that: he created an art piece within my creation of the Feline…”

“The starting point for me was the “Felina” bag, so Elena arranged to have one delivered to my studio: I’ve looked at every single detail and stitching and then I started shooting; I wanted to capture the impressions and suggestions that I got from the bag and translate them in images and sounds. I also wanted to find a recurrent element as the fil rouge for the video, something that I could play around with, transform into abstract, optical and organic words  — and that something was the geometric pattern right at the centre of the bag.”
“Elena had only one request: that the video should be able not just to represent her but also to make a connection on an emotional level with the viewer. And then she gave me complete freedom, to the point that she didn’t want to see the work in progress but only the final piece — it was like she commissioned an art piece.” 

“I always admired artists and I am constantly inspired by arts for my creations.” recall Elena Ghisellini. “Working with Leonardo proved immediately that our collaboration was smooth and natural. I left him complete freedom to express himself.”

“This approach allowed us to go beyond the traditional fashion or advertising video and to fully embrace the essence of the bag, both on a emotional and communication level. It was clear that this bag embodies the passion, creativity, craftsmanship and vision of its designer. Getting to know Elena and work with her was a truly rewarding experience.” said Leonardoworx.

“I quickly realised the power expressed by his thoughts and his imagination.” said Elena Ghisellini. “Emotion is one of the cornerstones on which my collection is made and he was the right artist to interpret this emotion. I am sure we will work together again in the future.”

See more of Leonardoworx’ work here.