A Conversation with Roberto Zampiero

By Federico Galli

"We can have all the means of communication in the world, but nothing, absolutely nothing, replaces the gaze of the human being." Paulo Coelho

It was March 9th, 2020 when our Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the lockdown in Italy.

A completely new phase begun, a chapter of forced imprisonment.

How to turn this quarantine into an occasion?

Some have fallen into endless laziness from which it will be difficult to free themselves, others have learned to make bread, grandmothers have learned to video call their grandchildren with their smartphones.

There is no doubt that the process that leads us to live online has undergone a sharp acceleration, while at the same time it makes us understand the importance of real-life and human relationships.

During this surreal period, I have found inside work, but above all in the constant confrontation with people, an important stimulus and a surge of positivity that is giving me a great emotional charge.

I also got to opportunity to make new contacts and new friendships. Among them, I will tell you the story that got me closer to Roberto Zampiero, entrepreneur, talent scout, creative and much more.

A boy who knew how to combine will, passion, humility and a pinch of healthy madness, building his professional path that bears the name of RZ Studio, with which he launches new fashion brands on the market, accompanying them in development, distribution and following their path at 360 degrees.

Between us, waiting for the real one, a virtual handshake came through the social networks and despite the screen that divides us, we did not miss the opportunity of a chat.

How important is it to know how to communicate? Social networks are proving to be a fundamental tool. What is your relationship with them?
The birth of social networks has represented an evolutionary process in all sectors and in the one of communication in the first place! My relationship with these platforms is very balanced. Like many others, I have been fortunate to have been part of the change process itself, going from their absence to their (intrusive!) presence, thus learning to manage it. I do not abuse it, but at the same time it is working speaking, a very important tool because if well used it allows you to maintain relationships and find new inspirations with just one click (music, art, design, information, etc...). Obviously all this must not limit our knowledge, the material that circulates on platforms such as Instagram then needs to be deepened. Furthermore, it is necessary to know how to separate/evaluate those which are objective good discoveries and those which are not real. Surely I am a supporter of social media because probably if I had had the opportunity to use them since I was a kid my process of knowledge/insertion and exposure to the fashion world would have happened quicker.

In your opinion, what is the concept that a brand must be absolutely capable of communicating?
Authenticity, Value, Sincerity. Sharing the truth, the story of the realization process, the real story behind a work of art as a brand is fundamental. Everything that is purely built to "appear" is destined to die!

Reality Vs Virtuality. What are the rightest channels to launch brands nowadays?
One dimension is not independent of the other. Coexistence is essential: reality is made up of human contacts and relationships. Virtuality is a way of communicating more quickly and bringing people closer and then bringing them into the world of reality. The situation we are experiencing is a clear example! We tell our reality through a virtual world, we communicate virtually with our friends, we make new virtual relationships waiting to live them in the real dimension. The "live with fashion" project is an example of this, at a time when it is almost impossible to relate humanely, let's try to do it through a live on Instagram, cultivating old and new relationships, collaborating and creating together!

With the advent of social media, we just need to publish a post to feel like creative geniuses. So is the search for new talents easier or more difficult today?
As I said before, the problem is right there, very often creativity is confused with the post created simply to seek people's appreciation. I can say that the search for new talents is certainly more complex if we let ourselves be guided by a mere logic of numbers and therefore of followers; a careful and sensitive eye is guided by experience and by an intuition that disregards all this. Many times I am intrigued by what is less exposed and less valued. And I would say that in general, this attitude was the key that made me want to open an agency that dealt with new talents!

Can you tell me an anecdote related to your first experiences in fashion?
Certainly, the one linked to my very first real contact with the world of new talents and the development of a brand on the Italian market. It was significant a party night at the home of a dear friend. One of our "games" was to be a scouter in fashion and art - obviously without experience at the time - it was just a game. We talk about 10/12 years ago and surfing on the web, specifically on Facebook, we discovered a new brand of studded slippers, something different, with a London punk taste of the 80s. I had the courage to contact this boy and I offered him distribution according to the classic old method of "contacting contacts". So I took his creations trying to propose them through friends of boutiques with which I was already in contact. The result? It was really very positive!

By making a mistake you learn: what was the error, in life as in work, that taught you the most?
More often because of my character, the mistake was never having waited for people to gain my trust. I would, therefore, say trusting too early, without investigating and analyzing situations. To date, I can say that I have a new awareness of the way I live human relationships, both work and personal.

Your favorite place?
There is no particular place, but there are several that will have their own meaning forever. For work reasons of my parents, in fact, I had the opportunity to live experiences and relationships in different places and cities.
Trentino, for example, is my place of origin, the one where I was born. Milan, on the other hand, is the city that has allowed me to evolve and discover myself, to understand what I really loved to do. It is as if I had bet on her and she on me, it is an unceasing love made up of experiences and job satisfaction: Milan l'è gran Milan! (Milan is great Milan!) Finally Puglia. Despite being born in the mountains, in fact, more than anything else I love the sea, for its vibrations, the taste of good food, the scents of the earth and the simplicity of life. A place that is in my heart also because it is the homeland of my partner, future wife, and business partner.