Instagram : @oficinalovers
www.oficinalovers.com
Hi Paola! Tell us about yourself.
Hi, my name is Paola, born in 1979, nineteen seventy-niiine!!! Born in Cremona, to a Cremonese mother and a Puglian father, I like to define myself as "hybrid", I feel a lot of both my parents' origins within me. I live in Cremona, but Puglia is equally home!
What is your store called and where is it?
My store is called Oficina, located in the center of Cremona, nestled among the workshops of luthier, on Via Robolotti.
What kind of training/experience did you have before opening your store?
I've done many things in my life, some of them quite different! I lived in Milan for almost twenty years, until a few years ago. I went there to study fashion design at Ied and then I fell madly in love with Milan and stayed there for a long time. While studying, to make ends meet, I often worked as a dresser at fashion shows or anything else related to fashion that Ied offered us. After graduation, I took two more courses at Ied, one in "shop retail" and one in "vector illustration" – another thing I really love to do is illustrations! After my studies, I worked as an assistant for a stylist, a wonderful experience where I learned a lot, working on editorials and commercials. It helped me further refine my personal aesthetic taste, but as you know, Milan is expensive, so I also started working in a tattoo studio, where I handled appointments and stayed for several years! Another wonderful experience! I then worked in a clothing boutique, to confront myself with that reality, as I had the clear idea since the end of Ied that sooner or later I would open my own shop!
Tell us some curiosities about Oficina.
The name comes from a trip I took to Lisbon a few years ago with my sister and Chiara, one of my best friends! I saw it everywhere there, it was the period before starting this adventure and I thought it was perfect! Easy to remember and at the same time it brought me back to that beautiful trip.
I opened Oficina in Cremona because it's the city where I was born and a project like mine didn't exist yet, so I thought it could be a nice challenge.
In my shop, there are, let's say, three areas: a selection of new brands, divided between handmade and not, a selection of vintage, and another of selected secondhand in perfect condition. I like the idea of reuse, of giving new life to forgotten clothes in the closet that are still very current.
What excites you most about your job?
Here I would like to use a quote: "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
I love everything about my job, even what sometimes seems heavy. I love receiving packages with new arrivals and I love the emotion I feel when I open them. I love the smiles and complicity created with my customers, many of whom have become friends. I love doing window displays, I love photographing clothes, I can go on forever!!!
A muse that represents your ideal woman?
Certainly Frida Kahlo, confident, charismatic, exceptionally stylish, full of personality and above all an artist. Every creative woman fascinates me and represents a muse for me.
The playlist for a typical day in the shop?
The Smiths (but every day I create playlists for the shop full of music I love)
What comes to mind if I say LIGHT?
Light is pure oxygen, for the body and for the mind; without light, the world wouldn't be so beautiful. Light is life.
What is YOUR LIGHT?
My light is curiosity, which pushes me a little further every day.
Tell me about the city where you live and work.
Cremona is a beautiful small provincial city, home to many artists like Mina, Tognazzi, and last but not least, the city of violins. Cremona is a city that can shine brightly, and it is proving it more than ever during this difficult time we are experiencing.
What do you love about this place? Do you have any tips for those who decide to visit your city? After many years in Milan, what I love about Cremona is that you can reach every place on foot or by bike, I love the beauty of the historic center, I love that it's like a big family.
• Favorite color: Ahhhh, black, but lately I'm learning to dress in many colors, I'd say pink is second.
• Your favorite item of clothing. High-waisted jeans, strictly mom fit, preferably vintage.
• Your perfume? Good Girl by Carolina Herrera
• A food you love? Pizzaaaaaa.
• 3 books to read? "La misura di tutto" by Camilla Ronzullo, "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden, "Kitchen" by Banana Yoshimoto.
• What's always in your bag? Blush!
