The House of Peroni interview: Italian fashion in London

Italian fashion has always been in the forefront of the industry. For as long as we can remember, Italy has graced the world with so many amazing designers, artists and photographers, a list that is as long as our arm. Well the traditional continues as The House of Peroni hosts a month-long event showcasing the work of some amazing Italian fashion designers, including Carlotta Actis Barone, Vivetta and fashion photographer Angela Loveday. Located in a four-storey townhouse in Holborn and featuring three floors of exciting fashion and design installations, design workshops, indoor bars, a penthouse restaurant and an outdoor terrace with bar. And all free of charge.

We at the Upcoming are already looking forward to the event and wanted to know more. So we had a little chat with The House of Peroni and their representative, Jovana Rajacic, and couldn’t wait to hear all about their upcoming event and new work. 

What’s the idea behind the The House of Peroni and how did you come up with it? 

Jovana Rajacic: Fifty years ago in 1963, Carlo Peroni was inspired to create the first Italian premium lager, Peroni Nastro Azzurro.  In this spirit, The House of Peroni was launched in June 2013 and founded to celebrate the new wave of artists defining Italian culture and collaborating with them to create fresh experiences, ideas and concepts of Italian style. The House of Peroni wants to inspire others by bringing together visionaries from the different creative disciplines in Italy to create new expressions of Italian style including design concepts, interactive workshops and dining experiences.

What is The House of Peroni?

The House of Peroni is where the new wave of contemporary Italian culture comes together to define the creative landscape of tomorrow – it exists as a website showcasing the new wave of artists and designers of the new wave defining Italian culture and two month-long residencies that immerse consumers into the world of The House of Peroni.

Why did you decide to run this event?

The House of Peroni celebrates the Italian spirit of style and creativity which, 50 years ago, inspired Carlo Peroni to create the Peroni Nastro Azzurro brand – in fact in May, The House is inspired by 1963. This was the year that Lamborghini was born, Fellini’s iconic movie 8 ½ came out in the cinemas, when polaroid went colour and over the next ten years Italy saw 12 iconic fashion brands discovered, received 31 Oscar nominations, and so much more. 1963 is the year that started a creative revolution in Italy, and The House is dedicated to this iconic point of time.

This event brings together artists, designers, sound engineers, architects, chefs and mixologists to come together and be inspired by 1963 – to hark back to that era while creating something that shows how far Italy has come whether it be through transcendental art, food, drinks or design.

What makes The House of Peroni unique?

The House brings together creative talent from all industries – it will host an impressive collection of bespoke immersive fashion and design installations, bespoke menus with a stunning penthouse restaurant, an exciting drinks menu inspired by the ingredients of Peroni Nastro Azzurro and – above all else – The House is open for the whole month with free admission to all guests over 18. The talent in The House have been given free reign over a room to create their own experience.

Additionally there are, as always, the specially ticketed events which include a gelato-making master class to teach guests about Italy’s favourite dessert, a cocktail and food pairing mixology event, a private dining experience where everything from the colourful room to the food is inspired by the Red Green Blue model of colour in photography, a night for Italian style with the Il Barbiere barbershop event for gentlemen, and so much more. The House now has four bars inspired by fashion and design.

Why did you pick these designers in particular?

The designers picked are at the forefront of their respective creative industries – Vivetta, one of the fashion designers, is worn by it-girls like Alexa Chung, while Angela Loveday is a fashion photographer whose provocative work really embodies the vivacious spirit of the Peroni Nastro Azzurro brand. Then we have others like Andrea Morgante, the creative director of the physical look of The House, whose impressive work on the Ferrari Enzo museum in Italy made him a perfect choice to create the look and feel of the whole House, while collaborating individually with each talent to ensure their spaces were in keeping with the look of the whole House.

What can we expect from The House?

There is simply something for everyone – if you go to simply enjoy the creative aspect, you can enter free of admission and have four floors of exciting installations and immersive rooms to enjoy. You can go simply for the food and drink – the restaurant is beautifully decorated and the two menus (restaurant menu, and also aperitivo menu which can be enjoyed anywhere in The House) have a wide selection of beautifully reworked Italian classics. Drinks can be enjoyed at any one of the four bars, including the outdoor Terrace bar overlooking Lincoln’s Inn Fields park. Then there are the events – whether you want to enjoy a lazy Italian Brunch Club on Saturdays, or learn the art of tasting coffee, or perhaps just come along for the Friday Alfresco Feast and Italo-beats which brings together the best Italian street food vendors and DJs – The House is simply there to fulfil all your needs.

Flavie Belanco
Photos: Courtesy of House of Peroni

The House of Peroni month-long event re-opened on 2^nd May 2014 and closes 31^st May 2014 and will be located at 64 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3JX. As the home of the new wave of Italian style and culture, The House of Peroni is open to all.

For further information visit here.