In conversation with Frank Gallucci

Frank Gallucci, born in 1986, tells us how in a short time he became an expert in gentlemen's wear and lifestyle creating his own reality in the Italian fashion capital: Milan. Let's find out together how to become a real gentleman 2.0.

Who is Frank Gallucci?

I am an Italian boy who strongly believes in Made in Italy. I moved to Milan six years ago where I managed to build my own microcosm believing from the beginning, despite the many criticisms, in my gentlemen lifestyle project.

Who was the baby Frank and how much of him is still in you?

The baby Frank was restless, the adult Frank managed to turn this restlessness into daily hyperactivity. What I now owe to my family who has always made style a reason for living. A daily lifestyle dressed in education, ways of being and elegance in 360 degrees that is not reflected only in the dresses to wear. There is another child side that I carry inside but the exterior rarely, not out of jealousy or because I do not want to share it voluntarily, but because it is a very intimate aspect of myself that I tending to protect

You mentioned before you moved in six years ago, so the question is: what do you love about Milan?

From an early age, I had Milan in my mind, it was destiny. I moved here to study Political and Economic Sciences at the University with the aim of becoming a business manager, always around the world to close international deals, all this faithfully accompanied by perfect outfits and luxury hotels.

I have not abandoned this vision of me, but simply deferred to a more distant future, when I will be a businessman for my gentlemen's wear activities. Milan attracted me for its incredible business potential because it is a decidedly democratic metropolis.

If you're going to win and you're in this reality, you'll be able to climb to success more "easily" and achieve your goals. But you need to find the right balance because this city offers you a lot but at the same time it takes most of your energy. Fortunately, thanks to our type of work, we were able to impose our rhythms to Milan without being swallowed up.

Milan has a low-profile beauty because it is not as obvious as in other major Italian cities but is hidden in the alleys, in the inner courtyards, in the stately buildings where geometric architecture is the protagonist in all its nuances.

Do you miss your land?

I miss my land very much, not only for the sea that will always be part of me and of course I miss my family and friends. I miss above all for the human warmth and love that transmits to you in all things, I miss having more time to devote to people, I miss not being frantic and above all being able to grasp those important small things that make you understand the true value of life.

How did your passion for Menswear be born?

This passion was born and raised with me year after year. From an early age, I spent my savings on clothes but never homologated to others, I always sought originality in the clothes I bought.

Thanks to my cousin I realized that I had a kind of passionate obsession with menswear. He was always elegant and dressed ad hoc for every occasion, I remember that when he asked me to go out with him, I preferred to stay and admire his closet for hours and hours observing every single garment. He gave me a sand-colored cashmere sweater that I still wear today and which I guard jealously.

Can you describe your style with 3 adjectives?

Versatile, contemporary and classic. I think the style is built over the years but wrong. In the past, I excelled in outfits with combinations of clothes that created a heavy style, today my motto is "less is more" but without lacking in taste and quality.

The adjective that most represents my style is versatile because over the years I have gone through all the different stages: from a sportive to casual, to elegant. Today I try to give the vision of the men's style in 360 degrees and 7 days a week, covering all the possible outfit options that one can meet: from Monday meeting to Sunday trip.

Style has no rules, just personality 

Tips for the perfect wardrobe?

For me, the walk-in closet is a kind of temple because that's where it all starts. I have always had the cult of the wardrobe and I can't not be obsessive with the order: it is a matter of mindless form. My closet is timeless, instead of the latest fashion pieces, there are historical pieces that I constantly reinvent. To have a wardrobe that follows a logic but at the same time is beautiful to see and functional, in my opinion, you should follow these simple tips:

1. Divide dark (blue and black) and light (gray, cream, brown) dresses following a chromatic gradation
2. Divide the knitwear department by type: high-neck sweaters, heavyweight sweaters, "V" neckline sweaters and neckline
3. Coats and jackets must have a dedicated section
4. Split colored t-shirts from white t-shirts Separate shirts for sports/denim looks
5. Hang your pants with softer fabrics and fold your jeans

Frank Gallucci's wardrobe

Something you'd never give up?

Surely, I would never give up my independence, not only to the economic one but also to the cultural and intellectual one that I have built and nurtured over the years thanks to my curiosity and the need to inform me continuously.

What makes you prouder nowadays?

My daily hyperactivity, both positive and negative. I never stop and above all, I never settle. However, I cannot fully enjoy what I have built-in these years, years dedicated to the creation of my work that satisfies me and that above all makes me happy. It's still too early to sit in my comfort zone.

What does a lack of style mean to you?

There is no denying that there has been no abuse of the term gentleman in recent years. Being Gentlemen doesn't just mean dressing well, gentlemen is a way of life. This is recognized by small daily gestures.

Which are three pieces to invest in life?

Starting from the idea of an already complete man's wardrobe, you cannot miss a watch, a coat because it is the one that dresses a waist, a pair of sunglasses and a pair of shoes. It is said that a real gentleman can be seen by which shoes he dresses and by how he dresses them.

Do you have a reference model? Which is the greatest teaching you have received?

I don't have a particular model, I have several. I admire my father's ability to easily relate to people and to have always done despite the dark times that have passed.

My mother's tenacity and independence. I owe my cultural and musical background to them since I was young art has been the protagonist in our family.

A defining figure was my maternal grandfather, a luminary of nuclear medicine, who taught me strictness and discipline. Every summer morning, he would wake me up early and force me to run and swim for several kilometers when my friends were sleeping blissfully. He urged me to always give my best, not to settle and to never give up.

He always said to me: “from this thing, you will understand what it means to throw your heart over the obstacle and when others are tired, you will always have that extra 5% of strength to get farther than them." Now I can say that I fully understand the meaning of this sentence.

Do you have other passions?

Cinema. I live for film icons, from there all my passion for menswear started. These people have made history and will do it forever, they will hardly be forgotten. I watch a lot of films and sometimes I write reviews. In my opinion, Italian cinematography is not supported by a fashion team that follows and studies the style of the actors off the red carpet. Conversely, historical icons such as Christian De Sica and Giancarlo Giannini, dress very well both in films and everyday life.

What's your place of heart?

Via Valtellina in Milan which has been my home for 4 years and is still a magnetic place where I take refuge when I am anxious, nervous or just when I have a day not. Although it is not a beautiful way from an aesthetic point of view, as soon as I go through it, I find peace and happiness.

Another very important place for me is Crotone because it is my home, especially the harbor where I go running every time I go down, where the music is dictated by the waves of the sea and the seagulls that fly over it.

What feature does a brand need to have to work with you?

Surely a brand that wants to collaborate with me must be in line with my stylistic values. Several times I said "no" to brands because they did not represent me or reflect my stylistic philosophy, despite offering me a considerable compensation. The winning strategy is built precisely on the said "no", most likely after four "no", there will be a "yes". Today strategy is everything, without that there is only improvisation and carelessness.

I would like to be remembered not as someone who participated in a television program or because I had collaborated with a thousand different brands to gain popularity, I would like to be remembered as a person who knows what he did and why. I advise companies from a stylistic point of view, giving my ideas that are the result of hours and hours of research, I am not a fashion designer but an expert in menswear.

What advice would you give to the person who would like to be inspired by the world you created?

The world I've built is the hologram of what I would have liked to become, which is a very normal person with pure values. Each of us has dreams some of which remain so for various impossibilities even of economic type, another thing is the feasibility of the dream and what one would like to become.

My advice is to create a daily lifestyle where you are best, not to create what represents you the most or what you would like at all costs to appear. To create it you do not need money, you have to have the full vision of what one wants to be and that he always wants to do with the purpose of being well and being happy.

What made you return to Italy from Australia?

Australia is very beautiful and politically fluid, bureaucratic and functional. It can be an “Eldorado” for an Italian who wants to move in looking for fortune. What is missing? The light that emanates Italy from every corner and we Italians are the reflections that make us recognizable in the blink of an eye wherever we go.

What is Italian for you?

Italian is the brand we wear every day. We find Italians in the scent of coffee when we enter a bar, in the streets of Brera, in the lifestyle of any Italian. I feel like a #proudtobeitalian, that is, a person who manages to give the sense of pleasure to life regardless of the means available, and I carry on this hashtag fiercely.