by MILAN — Lucio Di Rosa is not a fan of selfies and you won’t find photos of him posing with the array of celebrities he helped dress on the red carpet, from Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek to Hilary Swank, Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Reynolds, Dwyane Wade. or Sharon Stone. “My job is to work behind the scenes,” he said humbly, and his passion and attitude toward his profession, which includes many “can do” moments and sleepless nights, have contributed to his success. .
“Lucio is the most hard-working, creative and sincere person in this business,” Stone told WWD. “His long history of relationships within the fashion industry is filled with integrity and a complex understanding of fashion as a business. He is a singular in a sea of many.”
More from World Water Day
Nine months after launching his strategic brand agency LDR22 in Los Angeles, Di Rosa is expanding his boutique showroom concept with a new unit in Milan’s beautiful and historic Palazzo Meli Lupi di Soragna, which dates back to the 19th century.
He has been carefully restoring the interiors and its frescoed rooms, preserving the original wooden floors, which feature exquisite graphic designs. He will pepper the grand halls with artwork by Ettore Sottsas and bronze sculptures by Milo Rau from his personal collection and fill them with all things Fornasetti, from the fascinating and romantic Nuvole wallpaper, with its billowing clouds etched into the panels, even vases, plates and tea cups. .
“Every detail must show the highest level of perfection and speak of luxury, but at the same time convey the idea of a cozy home,” explained Di Rosa during a tour of the space and later in his apartment in the center of Milan, too. Full of beautiful works of art. “Extreme luxury must be perfect.”
LDR22 Milan will officially open on December 4 with a launch cocktail scheduled for December 13. Di Rosa said it responds to a need in the market, as many of its clients want to have a safe, private haven away from paparazzi and prying eyes. eyes, for example after a fashion show or during fittings before an event.
Di Rosa believes in having a European-based boutique showroom in Milan, within a specially curated space to showcase products and offer corporate consulting and international press office editorial capabilities, celebrity and influencer activations, event planning, search of talents, concepts and campaign management. and charitable associations (the first with Save the Children).
“Luxury clothing should be displayed as such,” he said. The palazzo will also function as a venue to welcome celebrity clients for their styling requests, with a separate entrance away from paparazzi gatherings. “What celebrities want is to feel at home, letting loose,” said Di Rosa, who likes to entertain and personally cook for her guests.
Di Rosa, a passionate art collector, plans to organize exhibitions at the palace, which he sees as a place of experimentation for emerging artists and university students. He asked art consultant and curator Jessica Tanghetti, a longtime contributor to her own private collection, to oversee the showroom’s artistic concept.
Among Di Rosa’s first clients in Milan were Tod’s; Mach and Mach; Marmar Halim; Des Phemmes; Raúl Mishra; The attic; Marble Workshop; retrofete; the Mandarin Oriental Milan and Palazzo Parigi Milan hotels.
More recently, photos of Taylor Swift carrying a Tod’s bag and Anne Hathaway wearing The Attico have been circulating online.
Di Rosa said the Milan location was a response to strong market demand, bridging the gap between Europe and the United States.
She spoke about the “art of matching” brands with the right celebrity and vice versa, building relationships beyond the red carpet. “I saw there was a gap in the market and a great opportunity to open in Milan with a unique location,” she said.
Di Rosa draws on a career spanning more than two decades, starting at Giorgio Armani and then moving on to Versace, Elie Saab and Dolce & Gabbana. He worked closely with brand owners and creative directors, and built relationships with the entertainment industry, where he focused on stylists, celebrities and special projects.
“My mission is to connect the dots between established and emerging brands with the entertainment industry and key international celebrities, developing long-term, unique and tailor-made synergies,” said Di Rosa. That’s why he’s been called a celebrity matchmaker, matching them with the right brands, but he stressed that it takes months to analyze companies, making sure there is a vision, a long-term strategy and a strong brand DNA, so that the fit with celebrity is correct. “The type of dress, the woman and the event should go together,” she said.
“It is a dream to work with Lucio. He really understands his clients and his brands,” said celebrity stylist Petra Flannery, who has worked with the likes of Emma Stone, Zoe Saldana, Amy Adams and Emilia Clarke, to name a few. “He has an innate way of connecting people. It can definitely impact a brand’s visibility, resulting in countless fashion moments. When he hosts an event in one of his beautiful showrooms, it generates buzz. People want to come because they love Lucio and know that his touch is gold.”
No mission is impossible for Di Rosa, who has had his share of last-minute dramas, such as actresses changing their minds at the last minute, sometimes changing into unfinished dresses, still with pins hidden in the folds, he said, still embarrassed. . to the memory.
With great concentration, he has learned to stay calm and move forward. He credits his years of working with Armani, from 2002 to 2005, and with Donatella Versace, for shaping his career. From the former, he said he “learned rigor and a sense of responsibility,” while at Versace, which he joined after Armani until 2019, he still marvels at the “making and construction of the clothes.” “real haute couture.”
He recalled how, when he was young and growing up in the Forte dei Marmi resort in Tuscany, he bought his first printed Versace shirts, passionate about the brand. “I would call his office and hang up just to hear the way they responded,” he said with a smile.
She recalled passing Donatella Versace’s first litmus test, while dressing Swank, Jessica Alba, Uma Thurman and Salma Hayek, among others, all in Versace at her first Oscars ceremony. She stressed that she has never paid an actor for product placement and that she has no intention of ever doing so.
Upon leaving Versace, he moved to Dolce & Gabbana to help the brand after its downfall in China in 2018. He succeeded, and when 35 celebrities wore the brand at the 2022 Oscars, he felt it was the right time to move on and take on another challenge: his own personal business, adding his good luck number 22 to the nickname.
The best of World Water Day
