07.16.21 Love Letter

Friday, July 16, 2021                                          from the desk of  ZOFF

It has been quite some time since my last Love Letter to you. I do hope your love of expressive style is still in tact. I am still unsure about grey sweatpants and Birkenstocks. I would like you to know that I am thankful for you. It has been an adventurous seven months and many great shifts happened.

Preparing a new collection is a feat in itself. Preparing a new collection during a collective grieving of residential school children, re-learning of what it means to be a resident of Canada, and major changes in my personal life — that is a journey I did not expect.  And yet, each day the sun rises with power and optimism.  Today is my parents’ 33rd wedding anniversary today, Iand I am feeling the romance extra today.  These past seven months have been spent reading great poetry by Pablo Neruda and Nikki Giovanni, nourishing my soul with new recipes in the kitchen, and listening to IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, People Of Colour) voices in my life. I have learned so much about the people in my life, and it got me thinking:

How can I create a space for more dialogue from the people that inspire me most?

“Black and White, Not Nearly So” Collezione ’21 is about the stories around us and how we come together and connect together. The stories are not just black text printed on white paper. The stories are filled with all of the colours of the world. Stories are not wrong or right, good nor bad, but they are the truth of the people telling them.

This collection has been photographed at my paternal nonna and nonno’s home in Toronto (Corso Italia), with Eden Debebe of Elmer Olsen Models as the main character, photographed by Ash and Sai of Nudist Beach Studio. Hair and Make up was orchestrated by Olive Grey. I will be launching the Storybook for this collection on the 21st of July, 2021… Next week!

As well, I want to start doing this more frequently. My goal is to share a love letter with you every month. And I encourage you to write to me in person or to this email: info@zoffranieri.com. I look forward to hearing from you — that is why I do what I love.

Stay tuned throughout September and October of this year to hear the stories of several ZOFF Muses, in their custom pieces, and celebrate that:

“With Love, All Great Things are Possible”

x Michael Zoffranieri