The new theme “From the edge” sprouted from the seeds that we gathered in our memory and that we wish will blossom in a open invitation to look inside the edge itself and move beyond exclusion – because the edge is inhabited by people who are able to dissolve separations and gift us with a simple, yet amazing, revelation: if we look for beauty in extreme territories that we would prefer not to look at, there where lives take place which balance madness with reality, and if we welcome the virtuous complexity of diversity, we will discover existences that are so non-conformist that they refuse to disappear into invisibility, encouraging us to embrace the special value of their uniqueness instead.

“From the edge” links back to the previous collection named “Rebellious hands”. Together, these two themes are the expression of Goretti’s creative intention for the year 2023: we ventured to explore our local past in order to discover the stories of real people whose lives reveal a fascinating diversity. So, hidden in the silent memories of Serra de’ Conti, the small village where Goretti is based, we found stories of ordinary exceptionality and virtuous non-conformity which we translated into tales aimed at spreading their valuable heritage beyond the peaceful boundaries of our territory.
Our desire is to spread these inspiring stories as seeds of beauty, so that they will continue to blossom everywhere, in the life of anyone who will catch them.

Tacchì’s story welcomes you in his world of meticulous elegance altered by dashes of inebriated madness: to rediscover the pleasure of texture and loose formality in flashing, shiny and chromatic flips and twirls.  Tacchì was the guy who always dressed smartly — and liked to bend an elbow. Nobody knew exactly where he came from, but everybody knew his penchant for inebriation brought him to be welcomed firstly in a rehabilitation community and then by the curious affection of the village community. Tacchì loved beauty very seriously, almost professionally, and enjoyed dancing to the point he lost his breath. Dressed in his shirt, jacket, colourful ties and polished shoes, he worked as a brilliant maître d’ during the day, while in the evening he used to liven up parties with cheerful flips and twirls, adding a touch of drunkenness to his usual daily elegance. He was a dreamer: he caught whoever stopped with him in a charming chat about who he was — or who he thought to be. He stood at a bus stop with an attaché case in his hand, so he could tell the young girls and boys that he was going into town, where he was a teacher. Therefore, a desk was placed for him under the town hall arcade, to let him continue to tell his fables in front of his vast audience.

Vittò’s story welcomes you in his gentle and smoky world altered by touches of rebellious madness and invites you to step into a soft and light atmosphere lashed by matter and metallic contrasts. Vittò had a good soul, but an entangled mind. He was not able to explain the puzzled world he had inside. People say that he left for his military service and was not the same when he came back and that working in a factory in Milan, so far away, had put a strange noise inside his head. He had a gentle appearance: tall, with a rosy complexion, reddish hair and pale eyes. Though neatly dressed outside, his temperament was tormented: since he was a child, he used to crouch down in narrow streets with his rebel friends, and sometimes, when he was with his family, his rage burst – why did they make him walk around in old and bad shoes if they were surrounded by so many shoe factories? He always wandered through the village with his unforgettable, long strides, wrapped in the smoke of many cigarettes and muttering to himself while stroking his head. When someone crossed his path, he would put them aside in a bad manner, but no one was afraid of him, because he was a good guy.

Mbaye’s story welcomes you in his silent, distant world altered by touches of warm madness to explore the echo of distant lands crossed by flares of fresh sweetness. Mbaye was a temporary presence in the village – he didn’t go unnoticed, though. He was very tall and very thin and his very dark skin revealed that he came from Africa, which he left in search of fortune. But fortune brought him from town to town until he was entrusted to social services in Serra de’ Conti, where he could be seen wandering around. He wrapped his fragile life story in silence and he walked alone day and night. He only let a few people approach him. His strangeness was folded in an unpredictable temperament: he seemed to be a brawler, but he was kind and, whenever he caused trouble, he always came back to apologise. He gave little confidence and received distrust in return — yet, when a glimmer of respectful confidence made its way through the ups and downs of his peaceful nature troubled by dark outbursts of rage, he knew how to listen to people. Then, he slowly reclined his head and closed his eyes to seal that moment of ancestral human proximity.

Maria de Zucca’s story welcomes you in her exuberant, sparkling world altered by touches of colourful madness, to let yourself be enchanted by glossy flashes alternated with dense processings and lively tones. She always wore colourful clothes, Maria: only her hair was white and neatly gathered, while her neck, arms and hands were always loaded with a lot of shiny plastic frills that she showed off as if they were precious jewels. She always wore a long, loose skirt and her face always brightened with a sweet smile. Being strange sometimes makes people distrustful, but thanks to her cheerful kindness Maria was able to inspire the tenderness of her fellow citizens, who she was always keen to help. She lived on the outskirts of the old town with her affectionate family and used to wander through the village speaking loudly to herself, to the point that the fishmonger engaged her to advertise for him in the streets on sale days and sent her out to warn people by shouting ‘Fish! Fish!’. Then she left the village, but she stayed in the memories of those who loved her: even today, when someone spruces up with many flashy jewels, they’re addressed by people saying “you look like Maria de Zucca!”, as if this habit were her lively heritage.

When we brought “From the edge” to life, we conceived it as a collective diary in its essence – one which materialised in a joint result made of designing, production, and sharing: an exceptional universe of human and professional interaction where we orbit together with the other organisations which take part with us in the process to transform every inspiration in a wonder of our collection.

To all these people we say our truest “thank you” once again!

A special thank you goes to the cultural association TiVittori, with whom we renewed and strengthened our exciting collaboration: the theme “From the edge” was firstly inspired by the performance “Dal Margine_primo studio” (From the edge_first study, part of the project Arts 2022/23 and performed for the first time on the 26th March 2023 in the old olive oil mill of Serra de’ Conti), curated by Claudia Gioia Gentili and Pier Paolo Vernuccio, who introduced us to their delicate work of collecting voices and tracing memories. At first, they were working on the three male characters, then, with our collaboration, they also included Maria in their research. Along with stories, TiVittori also gave us the chance to meet Giulia Dall’Ara, the illustrator who portrayed our four characters through kaleidoscopic colourful backgrounds and patterns which recall the rich texture of our processings.

Thank you also to Artelier, Mabel and Deadema, the companies that make up the Goretti’s network: they combine their voices – and processings – with Goretti’s narrative on the season theme and share every step of the collection development up to the presentation at the exhibition, while creating a perfect harmony between their excellent identity and our collective work, which has even materialised into special hybridization works.

Thank you to our craftspeople: they guard and nurture a precious heritage of know-how in which manual skills and innovation are interwoven, and give birth to the extraordinary fusion of craftsmanship and high technology that makes our creations unique.

Thank you to our external professional collaborators, whose valuable contributions to our work help us achieve wonderful results: Èstro Lab, that interprets the first inspiration sparkle through the enchanting lenses of materials, so giving birth to the collection; Kei Kei Studio, for the creative direction in translating our stories in spaces and materials through graphic beauty; Silvia Scorcella, who transforms our work and the stories we tell into words and texts; Giulia Dall’Ara who has turned the characters of “From the edge” into visual stories through the art of illustration.