Nina Avesani is a very young artist with magic hands based in Verona.
She weaves rainbow-colored yarns and what comes out of her fingers, in this succession of rhythmic movements, are special garments, as delicate as her spirit but as lively as her smile. Nina lives in the hills, in a large house surrounded by greenery with her family and many dogs.
Hello Nina, can you tell us who you are and how you started this project of yours?
I am Anastasia Avesani, known as Lanina ai ferri. Nina because it's my nickname, lanina as in "small wool", and ai ferri because, well, I knit and create knitted garments.
It all started during the first lockdown in March 2020, when my mother showed me a sweater made by my grandmother, whom I unfortunately never met.
I was struck and thought: "Why don't I try it too?"
So I bought the yarn, the needles, and studied video tutorials online. The goal was to start by making a sweater; it absolutely had to be that garment, not a scarf or something simpler.
What does color represent for you?
What truly inspires me are colors. If I have to create a sweater, I look at the balls of yarn and I already imagine, in my mind, what the final result should be.
In the past, before I embarked on this passion, I expressed all my creativity by changing my hair color. I dyed it constantly: orange, red, blue, purple, but now I no longer feel the need because I convey all my feelings through the colors I put into my creations.
What is the strength of your project?
The most important thing for me is uniqueness. If I create a sweater or a top, it must be unique. Not necessarily for the style, but for the colors and the mix of yarns. I want anyone who buys it to know that there is only one of that garment in that particular color.
I like to create for others. It fills me with satisfaction to see the joy on their faces for having bought a unique, handmade item. For this reason, all my models are named after the first person who buys them. Carlotta, Olivia, Isabel, Nina are all those girls who chose that item first.
Which of your creations best represents you?
The item that best represents me is CARLOTTA, a sweater with very voluminous bubble sleeves. I have made it in different versions, also combining different techniques, for example, with a crocheted cuff. Some of my favorite pieces are then made with scraps from other garments. These are hats and vests, born with the idea of avoiding waste by mixing what is left over from other items. This makes them even more unique and special.
What is your biggest dream?
It all happened by chance, but today, Lanina Ai Ferri is what I would like my future to be.
This is my dream.
