HW: Who have you always wanted to be as a child when you would grow up?

FB: When I was a child my dream was to become a “famous American singer”, then I came to terms with reality. Today I like to say that when I will grow up, I want to do exactly what I do.

HW: How do you explain your art?

FB: I think that it’s never easy to “explain a form of art/an artwork” without falling into technical definitions, so I can say that my art, or my job, is to give shape to the desire and taste of a specific target audience, trying to unite it with the world in my head.

HW: Who introduced you to the art of fashion?

FB: I discovered fashion thanks to my maternal grandmother, who is actually very far from this “world”. She taught me how to cut textiles and sew, simply by watching her for days and days. Observing is the first way to learn.

HW: Which fashion designers/photographers are you a fan of?

FB: I was surely inspired by photographers such as AdeY, for the way she treats naked bodies and the interactions between them and space; Alessio Bolzoni, for the study of posing and the particular attention he gives to perspective. In terms of fashion-designers, the first name that comes to my mind is certainly Valentino, for the austerity, composure and sartorial care of each of his creations. As I work in fashion, I try to follow as many collections as possible in order to have a complete overview, appreciating the skills and new directions that are taken, before becoming real trends. My admiration in this sense goes to the work of many designers and brands. Just to name a few: Marni, Loewe, Mugler, Jacquemus.

HW: What is your current obsession?

FB: Lately, I have started to approach the whole esoteric world, from tarot cards to crystals, from chakras to auras. This research has incredibly influenced my artistic production and is still ongoing. There is so much to learn! Right now I’m trying to get closed to other artistic forms, especially theatre and cinema, working specifically on Third Theatre, Performance Art and street theatre.

HW: What is the best advice you have ever been given?

FB: The best advice I’ve ever received is to stay with your feet on the ground and always with your head in the clouds.

HW: How important was it to find good mentors in your career?

FB: I think finding good mentors at the beginning of one’s career is very lucky and as far as I’m concerned I’ve had the chance to have several. During my training and my studies at university, among my teachers, I met a great example of extreme sensitivity and ability of artistic expression. I had the opportunity to work as his assistant for several years, thus becoming part of the dynamic working environment I was going to enter. Still today he is one of my main points of reference, in addition to the personal esteem and affection that binds us.

HW: Tell us a little bit about how you started getting into this career…

FB: I started purely for personal pleasure, to express my creativity, customizing basic t-shirts. Later, I broadened my horizons, expanding and adding products to my collection, creation after creation. In 2015 I opened a studio in Rome, where I worked by appointment. In 2017, together with my sister Benedetta, who over the years has become my partner in crime, I opened the boutique The B. in Prati, situated in the heart of Rome.

HW: Where do you get your inspiration from?

FB: You could say that I take inspiration from everything; every single moment of the day can be a new trigger, as much as personal experiences, films by directors with a certain aesthetic direction, exhibitions, reading a play or a collection of poems, studying a particular historical period, getting lost in nature and so on. Especially in this particular period it is nice to be able to dedicate time to, feeding your curiosity and knowledge.

HW: What is your best advice for someone who wants to do what you do?

FB: Be determined and, as I have always told myself, achieve your goals step by step. Never stop aiming higher and creating more and more ambitious projects.

HW: Can you introduce yourself?

FB: I’m going to talk about me in the third person, because it’s always easier to describe yourself from the outside: Federico Barrazzo is a Roman designer, Sagittarius sign of the zodiac, born on 30th November 1992. He has always shown an interest in every kind of artistic expression, in particular from the fashion world. After his studies in Fashion Styling, he decided to expand his creative universe giving life to a more complex and wide vision by engaging in a personal project: The B.

HW: What do you think is your greatest personal or professional success so far?

FB: My greatest success is certainly to see my work recognized and appreciated. Seeing people wearing my clothes as proof of the process by which creation takes on an identity, when it is worn and experienced, thus becoming a reality.

HW: How would you describe your work?

FB: My work consists in the creation of women’s clothing that is born as a result of an elaborate aesthetic and stylistic research without ever losing sight of their wearability. For me, it is important to guarantee a product that is refined, high quality tailoring, but versatile. Hence the choice to also make “tailor-made” orders to satisfy my customers.

HW: What is the dream?

FB: Let’s say that my dreams are always linked to my real goals.

Right now my goal is to talk to a specific customer base to follow and satisfy as a reference target without ever precluding new opportunities for growth and discovery.

HW: What is fragility, to you?

FB: For me, fragility is a very strong component of every human being: it can be destructive as well as positive. I believe that each of us must look at it without fear, talk to each other to get to know it and become aware of it, so that we can take better care of ourselves, filtering and channeling in the right direction what we absorb from the world.

HW: What is your greatest fear?

FB: I believe that after all, we all share the same fears and concerns with different intensities. It is important to trust that we have the ability to always find a solution ourselves. Knowing your own fears is a good starting point to face and solve them, or to learn to live with them serenely.

HW: What do you think about the link between psychology and art?

FB: I think that psychology and art are inextricably linked. Art expresses the world we have inside us, made of images and feelings, experiences and sensations. Art in a certain sense expresses psychology, making it at the same time an interpretative medium.

The B.