Italians still do it better: MadonnaTribe meets Francesco Scognamiglio

When the new photos by Tom Munro from the Elle magazine spread were released last week, we were all enchanted by their charm and beauty. But among all the fans the more surprised and happy one was Francesco Scognamiglio, an up and coming fashion designer from Naples, Italy, because Madonna is actually wearing one of his creations in the new photos. We had a chance to briefly talk with Francesco.

MadonnaTribe: Hi Francesco and welcome to MadonnaTribe. These days the fans are so excited by the new and fresh Madonna photoshoot from Elle magazine by Tom Munro.
We have learned she is wearing one of your shirts in some of the shots. How did your creations arrive to Madonna?

Francesco Scognamiglio: Well, I’ve been in touch with Arianne Phillips for a long time now and she has always been
supportive and interested in what I was doing and I knew M herself approved and liked a lot my “rags” 🙂

MT: Were you aware that Madonna would have put on your chiffon shirt during this photoshoot or was it a big surprise for you
as well?

FS: Yes I was aware of that but to me was kind of surreal… but I never thought about it too much until a couple of
days ago a friend called me and asked me to login on to my email. That was a great shock, something impossible to describe.

MT: Speaking about this Elle photoshoots stylist Arianne Phillips declared that Madonna is really supportive of young up and coming designers so she likes to wear, along with the creations by established designers, also things coming from new talents. This time the “new talent” in question is you. How do you feel about that?

FS: Well I’ve been a “true” Madonna fan for 25 years. From the beginning. I was a child and I my dream was exaclty what happened the other day. I’m still very confused. It is quite a relevant sign if you think that after Dolce & Gabbana, putting aside the big names of Italian fashion, she didn’t have almost any interest in the new Italian talents until now… and it seems that happens with me. Believe me, I’m speechless.

MT: As a fashion designer, how do you see the fact that Madonna has been influencing so much both street fashion and
designers. From the early rubber bracelets by Maripol, the use of lace, the fancy outfits from the 90’s, her trademark
cowboy hat, to her self designed H&M collection?

FS: M has been a style icon from day one. An empress of image and looks. She’s a living legend who is still making
history.

MT: What is the special element, that Madonna or any other woman, can find in your outfits?

FS: The Scognamiglio woman has a strong character and within her clothes she lives a kind of conceptual modernity. It is not a product for everyone but it wants to expand its good taste to the whole world.

MT: Madonna teaches that if you work hard, almost anything can be possible. What’s your dream for the future?

FS: There have been some hard years for me, and I’m still working hard at the moment, but I’m happy that a sensible mind like hers succeded to read deep inside me through my outfits. My dream? meeting her, looking in her eyes, kiss her hand and whispering to her: “thank you”.

For addition info about Francesco, please check his official site at www.francescoscognamiglio.it

Thanks to Francesco Scognamiglio for briefly chatting with us.
Also thanks to our friend and contributor Carlo.