ANGELO CRUCIANI: nothing more beautiful than an open mind
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Angelo Cruciani, of Italian origin, is a multi-faceted artist.
Since 1999 he has lived between Europe and Asia. He is an activist for LGBT rights, as well as creator of the flash mob «Svegliatitalia» which in 2016 brought one million people for LGBT rights to 97 Italian squares and 17 worldwide; he is the creator of the Yezael brand and was the winner of the “best creativity” award at Beijing Design Week in 2019.
He is fascinated by the art and fashion world and has developed a harmonious vision of his visual aesthetics.
From your creations I perceived the presence of a strong personality, very sensitive, almost poetic, but also a lot of knowledge in completely different fields. Have your passion for fashion and art always been inherent in you or was it born as a result of some experience?
"I was born this way" is the most sincere summary of many questions.
I was born a vegetarian, I was born with an indescribable love for art, I was born hypersensitive, I was born attentive to others, all that I am was already within me.
The experiences then served to be aware of them: often a society founded on consumerism wants us to follow all the same tracks, but to be ourselves we must keep vigilant observations towards ourselves.
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How was Yezael born?
YEZAEL was born for fun, but then it became the most serious project of my life.
I didn't have the courage to admit that I wanted my own collection, I was waiting for heaven to send me an opportunity, not realizing that the opportunity was me.
At the beginning they were just clothes made with the idea that I would wear them anyway...
Then, day after day, my creations began to tell stories, to become more than just clothes. They had become the means by which I was able to communicate with the world.
Not being able to use my surname due to a pre-existing Cruciani brand, I chose my middle name YEZAEL which is the angel of meeting and union: in an era like ours it seemed to be a response to the fusion style I wore inside.
YEZAEL is my most important project and it came when I was ready to face my limits.
Yezael has allowed me to bloom and I hope it will allow me to bloom for a long time.
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Do you have a muse or life force that you draw inspiration from?
My muse is called SOCIETY.
Humanity is my main source of inspiration: even when it seems superfluous, I want to create a USEFUL FASHION for the soul, the mind, the everyday life and the psyche.
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What project are you most proud of?
I am very proud of a Flash Mob created in 2016, which brought about a great social change in favor of civil unions: SVEGLIATITALIA.
The event, which took place on Saturday 23 January 2016, was born for a few hundred people, but in a very short time it turned into an international flash mob attended by 97 Italian and 17 foreign squares, for a total of 1 million people who at the same time they felt the need to mobilize to demand equal rights for same-sex couples and to break down the barriers that preclude many from the legitimate and sacrosanct aspiration to happiness.
The idea came from an alarm clock bought by what later became my husband. It was a special moment, because my creativity at that moment became useful to everyone.
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What do you think of this current opening of fashion towards diversity? Do you think it's just a new trend or a real process towards inclusion?
Diversity is the condition I know best: I have lived it on my skin since I came into the world. In my case, diversity was the cause of marginalization.
Then only in 2020 the whole world (which was forced to marginalize itself due to Covid) discovered Diversity in its many meanings, but mainly as the very essence of being SPECIAL.
I am happy with this openness to inclusiveness, because finally attention is shifting towards more realistic aesthetic prototypes, which do not obsessively aim for perfection, but which on the contrary seek to enhance what can apparently be considered defects.
I believe that change will always be an incessant part of our society and that once established rules will have to be upset and changed. Everything is a trend, even those that are considered rooted certainties.
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Do you have your own personal idea of ​​beauty?
Beauty is my drug. It is fundamental for me, because it is total love for life and life continually creates it, if only we can perceive it. I believe that every human being generates their own fears and repulsions on their own.
Beauty is everywhere: in every place or in everything that surrounds us, but it is above all beyond those patterns that each of us builds and that often cannot overcome. Beauty is harmony, but at the same time asymmetry. It is all if you choose to recognize it even in insignificant events, but it disappears if you are not able to appreciate the little things.
I believe that there is nothing more beautiful than an open mind, able to destroy all the limits imposed and able to show empathy for every form of life that manifests itself.
How are you coping with this global pandemic, without allowing it to damage your creativity, but to empower it?
The Pandemic arrived while I was in China and I was about to fly to New York for the premiere of NEXT IN FASHION.
In the first lockdown period I sent aid to Italy, but I soon realized that what was happening would change the priorities of all of us. This awareness was almost a shock, but at the same time useful to enhance my creativity and to elaborate my needs. First of all, it was necessary to focus on my identity and putting my projects in order, taking everything more seriously, especially the economic aspect.
You must always understand when it is time to take a few steps back, so that you are ready to walk forward. Covid-19 has generated a crisis that has annihilated all that was superfluous. Now, I have reached the awareness of having to be more precise in the direction and my role within this system.
Each difficulty conceals a thousand opportunities.
Do you have your own philosophy of life to share?
HAPPINESS IS A LIFE CHOICE
I strongly believe in the need to be responsible and aware people.
In my life I have met disadvantaged people in various respects, able not to be overwhelmed by events, but to use their misfortunes as a starting point or strength; able to appreciate life with an attitude of hope and trust, expressing much more gratitude than those who were born lucky in life but dedicated only to blaming themselves.
Happiness for me is not quantifiable by the events that happen or by how much one can feel fulfilled and affirmed. For me that is joy. Happiness, on the other hand, is a positive attitude that is adopted to face daily challenges; it is the attitude that helps to transform complex and difficult episodes, lighter and more manageable.