The glaring success of Throwback
Interview to Pasquale V. D’Avino, creative mind of Throwback, brand that celebrates the past icons
Probably today the Throwback word is related to the Italian fashion label more than to the popular Instagram hashtag, born to remember some past events. However, they both share a look towards the past but Pasquale V. D’Avino, creative mind of the Throwback brand, does not have any nostalgic filter, but a modern vision of the pop culture. The inventive twist lies in his own ironic vision of images, characters and facts.
Here you can read the interview to Pasquale V. D’Avino of Throwback: you will discover that everything started from a movie which has marked the ’90s generation...
Let’s start from your nickname as “Crazy Italian Guy”. How was it born?
My real nickname is PAVI, a mix between Pasquale and Vittorio, while “Crazy Italian Guy” was born from my London’s agents as an ironic reference to my busy and perpetually traveling life. It refers to a fact that really happened: in order to attend a dinner I was invited to, I took a flight from Naples to London. All that for 8 hours: the following morning at 9 am I was already flying back home. That was the moment when I became their “Crazy Italian Guy”.
Your story starts with an image, a cinematographic frame of “Home Alone”. What have impressed you?
It might seem obvious, but so it is, all that was born from that movie: it’s not only one of my favorite movies, but in the 2017 Christmas I realized that it could gather together three different generations in front of the tv: my father, my brother and my 4 years old nephew. Actually it does not exist a Christmas movie more successful than Home Alone. There the idea of using a movie frame and to revisit it in an artistic way, telling a background of the scene less known to the majority of the public.
Between the images chosen for your collections, Michael Jordan is the constant that season after season appears on t-shirts and sweatshirts branded Throwback. Why?
I am an expert and lover of the pop culture, with a particular interest for the time that goes from the ‘90s till today. Michael Jordan is a constant of my collections because he is not only one of my idols - as an ex basketball player I consider him a divinity- I believe he is one of the biggest characters of the pop culture of international level and a key-figure on the social-economic plane. He is a person that exceeds the sporty aspect as a professional. It is worth to study him from each point of view. In addition he is the character that better works: a concentrate of style or coolness, that puts together entire generations of fans and not, deleting any age, culture or passion differences.
Simple and ironic, each product of the first collection branded Throwback was accompanied by a Tamagotchi. Actually this cult piece represents the nostalgia that some generations have towards ’80s and ‘90s. What is missing from those years that is not there today?
In every collection I always try to revisit through the storytelling and the irony, stories and iconic moments of our past time, without falling into the obvious. What I can say for sure, as an expert of the pop culture, is that ‘80s and ‘90s have given life to a series of characters, objects and routine that hardly will be replaced by new “myths”. I believe that all this, which is son of our time won’t become so iconic as the ‘90s products and images did. Playstation or Lebron James are new, modern and cool. Nintendo and Michael Jordan are just legends.
A ‘90s memory...
One between many is absolutely my crazy first descent on the roller coaster with my father. Also in this case, as far as the virtual reality, the 5D or the 6K could be a fantastic technology, nothing can substitute the stomach void and the screams on a roller coaster...!
Giampiero D’Alessandro is the artist that signs the re-elaborations of Throwback’s prints. How your collaboration started?
Gianpiero is one of my best friends since almost 15 years. We are fellow villagers and, despite we have taken different professional paths, we have always been united by the same desire of emerge, going away from our 20.000 inhabitants town. Though I have to admit that, after a decade around the world, we are appreciating it. The collaboration with Throwback has started from day 0, rather we should say from the -1. I have shared my idea with him even before implementing it. Between advices and development, we have launched it together.
What are the Throwback’s future plans? Are they special projects or new collaborations?
Throwback is in constant development: there is a very thick business plan for the next 5 years that, despite the global pandemic of Covid-19, we are respecting and remodeling. Between all the projects we have confirmed three of them in particular: the partnership with the 007 brand, that sees us as exclusive interlocutors in the launch of the new movie of James Bond; the second with the Italian brand Superga and the third with E. Marinella, historical brand of Neapolitan ties, known all over the world for its charm and prestige.
