After the announcement last month that premium lager brand Peroni Nastro Azzurro is working on a design collaboration with Milan-based fashion designer Antonio Berardi - which coincided with Peroni's launch into the Russian market - we caught up with the British designer, who is currently plotting the return of his business to London at the end of the year, to talk achievement, inspiration and his early ambition to join the priesthood.
What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up this morning?
Had I overslept?!?
What do you wear to work?
Jeans, sneakers and a white shirt.
What do you have for breakfast?
Black coffee and juice.
Do you read a newspaper/watch television/click online?
I read the Herald Tribune.
How do you get to work?
My studio is part of my apartment.
What time do you first check your inbox?
After having taken a shower, around 8.45am.
Where are your desk and chair from?
My desk is antique, my chair is from an office supplier.
If you could save only one item from your office/studio what would it be?
'The Magic of Charles James', an amazingly hard-to-find book, that chronicles the work of a genius.
Do you listen to music whilst you work? If so, what are you listening to at the moment?
Absolutely. UNKLE, Ambulance, Jakob Dylan.
Where would your ideal lunch be and who would it be with?
Villa Igiea, Palermo, with Glenn O'Brien, Kate Moss, Sophia Neophitou, and Steven Meisel: great food, wit, beauty, creativity and captured memories.
Summarise in three words your work ethos?
TRY, TRY AGAIN!
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Being a victim of my religious upbringing.
What do you think is the most overrated virtue?
Patience.
Is there any single person that particularly inspires you?
Jesus Christ.
Where do you feel most inspired?
Torre Salsa in Sicily (a nature reserve with 12km of white sandy beach and nothing else).
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I'm hoping it's yet to happen.
How do you switch off?
In the shower.
What did you want to be when you were a child?
A priest.
What excites you/terrifies you on a daily basis?
E-mails, phone calls and post.
Would you like to be your own assistant?
Only if I could choose the music in the studio.
Is there anything about retirement you look forward to?
I hate the idea of retirement.
If you could choose to come back as person or thing, who or what would it be?
A dolphin.
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Read more fashion designer Q&As by clicking the links below:
Dolce & Gabbana
Donatella Versace
Gareth Pugh
Giorgio Armani
Stefano Pilati
