A FEW WEEKS INTO MY STAY IN FLORENCE, I STUMBLED UPON BJORK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE FIRST, THE STACKS OF MY FAVORITE PUBLICATIONS OR THE PRINT ON THE STORE WINDOW THAT SAYS "WE SELL NICE THINGS." WITH A THOUGHTFULLY CURATED SELECTION OF BRANDS AND THE LARGEST SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT MAGAZINES IN FLORENCE, BJORK HAS BECOME A SHOPPING DESTINATION FOR LOCALS AND TOURISTS ALIKE.
AFTER GETTING TO KNOW FILIPPO, THE PROUD OWNER OF BJORK, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW HIM ABOUT HIS STORE AND VISION TO DEVELOP A CONTEMPORARY EXPERIENCE IN THE HEART OF FLORENCE.
TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF:
MY NAME IS FILIPPO AND I'M ORIGINALLY FROM FLORENCE, BUT I LIKE TO THINK THAT I'M MORE A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD. AT THE MOMENT, MY LIFE IS SPLIT BETWEEN TWO CITIES: FLORENCE AND THE GORGEOUS ROME. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ATTRACTED TO BIG CITIES WHICH IS WHY I MOVED TO LONDON ALMOST 8 YEARS AGO. THERE I ACHIEVED A DEGREE IN "ART/DIRECTION-FASHION STYLING." AFTER SOME YEARS IN THE UK I DECIDED TO MOVE BACK TO ITALY...PROBABLY BECAUSE I WAS A BIT HOMESICK.
BJORK IS DEFINITELY A UNIQUE STORE IN FLORENCE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE THIS STORE? HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AND WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR BJØRK?
I FELT LIKE SOMETHING WAS MISSING. IT WASN'T JUST A MATTER OF A STYLE OR A PARTICULAR TREND, BUT MOSTLY A VISUAL LINGO; A FEELING OF CONTEMPORANEITY. I'VE OPENED BJØRK WITH MORE OF AN "EDUCATIONAL" PURPOSE RATHER THAN AN ECONOMICAL ONE. I THOUGHT THAT OPENING A CONCEPT STORE WHERE YOU CAN READ MAGAZINES, BROWSE THROUGH THE COLLECTIONS OF SOME OF THE BEST INTERNATIONAL BRANDS AND DESIGNERS OR CHAT ABOUT THE LATEST VINYL RELEASE BY SOME DOPE ARTIST IN L.A. WAS SOMETHING MISSING IN MY CITY. TO BE HONEST, THINGS HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN EASY. FOR SEVERAL MONTHS I WAS TEMPTED TO MOVE OUT OF FLORENCE FOR A LACK OF RESPONSE! BUT, NOW I'M GLAD TO SAY THAT BJØRK IS CONSIDERED A STORE TO VISIT WHILE IN FLORENCE AND I'M PROUD THAT IT HAS SURVIVED FOR 4 YEARS.
TELL ME ABOUT THE BRANDS AND PUBLICATIONS YOU SELL
MY SELECTION IS VERY MINIMAL FOR THE MOST PART. I TEND TO SELECT BRANDS THAT CREATE COLLECTIONS THAT WILL RESIST THE SEASONAL TRENDS. I LIKE TO PICK PIECES THAT YOU CAN EASILY WEAR IN FOUR YEARS TIME IN TERMS OF QUALITY AND DESIGN. JUST TO DROP A FEW NAMES, MY FAVORITE BRANDS ARE A KIND OF GUISE, OUR LEGACY SUNNEI, BASE RANGE AND JOSEPH. REGARDING THE MAGAZINES, I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT I HAVE THE BIGGEST SELECTION IN ITALY (I LIKE TO BRAG ABOUT IT). I THOUGHT IT WAS CRUCIAL TO HAVE A UNIQUE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT MAGAZINES AND BOOKS IN ORDER TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO THE STORE. PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T MAYBE GET DRESSED IN THE BJØRK STYLE COULD STILL COME TO GET INSPIRED BY OUR MAGAZINES.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE STYLE ICONS AND INSPIRATION?
RIGHT NOW I'M OBSSESSED WITH THIS "L.A./ORGANIC" TREND. EARTHY TONES, PLANTS AND ORGANIC MATERIALS. I CAN'T NAME SOME STYLE ICONS, BUT JUST A FEW INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS THAT INSPIRE ME (YOU KNOW, NOWADAYS, WE MOSTLY DEFINE OUR TASTE THROUGH INSTAGRAM: @BERTABERNAD, @GIASALVAGGIO, @MARYAM_NASSIR-ZADEH.)
ANY BIG PLANS FOR BJØRK IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?
THE NEXT BIG STEP WILL BE TO STOCKHOLM WHERE MY GIRLFRIEND AND I ARE PLANNING TO MOVE TO OPEN A SECOND STORE CALLED "THE GOOD HABIT" (PLEASE FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @THEGOODHABIT_). I'D LIKE TO INCLUDE MORE DESIGN AND HOME OBJECTS ALONG WITH AN ITALIAN CAFETERIA! THAT'S MY DREAM AT THE MOMENT.
INSTAGRAM: @BJORK_FLORENCE
WEBSITE: BJORKFLORENCE.COM
Post a Comment