All in the Family: Atelier & Repairs’ and Prps’ Father-Son Duo
Sometimes participating in the family business means forging your own path in the same field.
Both apparel veteran Maurizio Donadi and his son Mattia Donadi were drawn to denim in their formative years for its aesthetic, but neither of them originally expected to go into the industry.
About five years ago, Maurizio Donadi founded the label Atelier & Repairs, which upcycles reclaimed garments to give them a new life as one-of-a-kind designs. Through his work with denim-centric companies like Candiani and Gap, he has entered into the world of jeans after decades in the fashion business.
Meanwhile, Mattia Donadi has been the creative director of New York-based Japanese luxury denim brand Prps since 2018, making his own mark in fashion.
Carved in Blue caught up with the pair to discuss how they got into denim and what they’ve learned from each other.
Carved in Blue: Tell us briefly about your business?
Maurizio: I am in the business of transforming what already exist rather than producing more.
Mattia: I’m creative director at Prps Jeans, and for better or worse I am in the jeans business.
Carved in Blue: What was your first impression of the denim business when you were younger?
Maurizio: I had no idea that denim was a business. I bought my first pair of jeans because I wanted to look like a musician. Little I knew. As a business, my first impression was of a fun but complicated business.
Mattia: When I was growing up in the ‘80s/’90s I wasn’t really aware of the business itself. I was more aware and interested about its culture of cool, freedom, creativity, adventure and raw attitude. It was as iconic a moment for it as the ‘50s and ‘60s were for different, yet familiar reasons.
Carved in Blue: How did you start working in denim?
Maurizio: I start by working with companies that thought of denim as an important category in the business of clothing. Coincidentally denim became a stigma to me. I am actually not an expert in denim but a profound lover of the color blue.
Mattia: I started getting serious about denim around 2000/2001, at least from a professional perspective. I was repping DDC LAB and a couple other brands at the time, at 21/22. Obviously, I had no idea what I was doing at that age with no experience, but it was a fundamental learning experience in both denim and business for me. Like college, but you really felt the brunt of every mistake. You tend to learn fast that way.
Carved in Blue: Did you always want to go into the denim business?
Maurizio: No, it was never I priority until today. It is actually true.
Mattia: No, I actually always wanted to be Indiana Jones. I’ve always wanted to be an anthropologist.
Carved in Blue: Do you want your children to follow in your footsteps?
Maurizio: Nothing is mandatory or obligatory. It is a choice and my children are intelligent enough to make informed decision on what they want to pursue in their professional lives.
Mattia: I want my kids to follow their dreams and do what makes them happy, whole and complete.
Carved in Blue: When did you realize you were a blueblood?
Maurizio: I was never a denim head but my attraction for the color blue probably makes my blood a bit bluer.
Mattia: When I started knowing denim fabrics codes and characteristics by memory and spending more time in laundries and factories than I did behind a desk, obsessing over whiskers, base shades and sanding patterns.
Carved in Blue: What is the best advice you’ve gotten from your father/son?
Maurizio: His way of approaching the business of denim is unique to him, not a copy of mine. That makes me immensely proud of him.
Mattia: Don’t be afraid to dare, be different and think different. There nothing more empowering than to be you to the fullest.
Carved in Blue: What do you think lies ahead for the denim industry in the future?
Maurizio: A moment of profound reflection where quality, craftsmanship, creativity and innovations could become relevant again. Sustainability should not be a strategy. Should be a given.
Mattia: Extremely difficult choices and new opportunities. Although there have been some improvements, we are 20 years behind and still lying to ourselves.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Maurizio: The extraordinary feeling of being between an ocean and the sky.
Mattia: Hope for the industry and its business culture.
Post photo by Sadia Rafique