It’s Not About Clothing, It’s About Culture” Fortela is

Alessandro Squarzi, a brand creator, agent, and style model, travels the world to indulge in his passion for vintage and to recover new treasures for Fortela.

Fortela pays little attention to seasons and trends. Even the fabrics have character and are manufactured in line with aged traditions.

FORTELA “IT’S NOT ABOUT CLOTHING, IT’S ABOUT CULTURE” Italian brand Fortela is something like a bulwark of excellent - yet quite extraordinary - taste. Brand creator Alessandro Squarzi brings plenty of style and several decades of experience as one of Italy’s most influential agents to the table.

Text: Martina Müllner-Seybold. Photos: Fortela

Fortela was launched three years ago. Where does the brand stand now?

Fortela is evolving constantly. We break with many rules the fashion industry imposes on itself. For example, you will never see a pair of Fortela trousers with stretch. Stretch is for women; men don’t wear stretch. We have developed and expanded the collection continuously. We marry, so to speak, classic Italian virtues with American workwear. In addition, we have the Japanese passion for everything that concerns heritage. We manufacture our chinos and denim, incidentally Fortela’s latest expansion, on machines from the 1930s and 1940s.

You repeatedly emphasise that Fortela is more than just a brand. Dare I call it a lifestyle? The term must be at least as repugnant to you as stretch…

That’s right! Fortela is an attitude, a way for a stylish man to dress. As a man, you can’t wear much of what’s considered fashionable today, at least if you don’t want to look like you’re about to do gymnastics. We are about to open a Fortela House, consisting of six individually furnished Fortela Suites, in Milan. These suites reflect me as a person, my way of living. I like calling it the gypsy classic style. Welcoming guests into this world is something I am really looking forward to, because I perceive Fortela as an invitation to like-minded people.

True, you also seem to enjoy co-operating with other brands…

Yes, I love to recover treasures, to discover brands that manage to impress me with their history and expertise. We currently have three co-branding capsules. The first is with Italian cashmere brand Kangra, a traditional knitwear specialist. The best there is in Italy, as far as I’m concerned. But instead of settling for a simple, dark blue V-neck pullover, we decided to co-develop a cashmere sweatshirt. The second collaboration is with Ragno, a traditional Italian business that has been making underwear and knitwear since 1879. It even supplies the Italian military at times. The third brand partner is Maerz Munich, another company that impresses me with its history and expertise. One could say that we always look for the “best-in-class”, but not always the obvious ones. The obvious doesn’t interest me.

Are you the role model for the brand?

You see, I have spent so much time in this industry, building and popularising brands like AS 65 or Dondup. I have an unerring sense of style - and I have principles. I believe, for example, that a man wearing a beautiful coat will always look better than a man in a bright red down jacket. I like classic things, but one wouldn’t necessarily call my style classic. Fortela has the same attitude. It will never fail to excite me when stores emerge that pay homage to products and understand their culture, especially outside Italy. When you buy trousers at the Fortela Store in Milan or Forte de Marmi, you can rest assured that these trousers will still be relevant five years later. That is sustainability as I understand it.