Veronica Leoni, finalist at the LVMH Prize 2023, recounts herself and her brand Quira through the names of the people and places that have defined her path
Quira: the solo project by Veronica Leoni, finalist at the LVMH Prize 2023
Quira is the solo project by Veronica Leoni, a «dated and yet subtle» presence in the fashion industry since, as a newcomer, she entered into the style offices of Jil Sander ten years ago. From there, she moved to Céline’s Parisian spaces during Phoebe Philo’s creative direction, and then followed Moncler and The Row. While covering these positions, Quira, the independent brand that bears the signature of Veronica and the name of her grandmother, Quirina, was born. Just like the journey of Veronica, a new voice in a theatre, that is that of contemporary fashion, where independent notes need time to be heard, her personal project has evolved quietly. Veronica is indeed a new voice to many – even if she defines herself as a veteran – and in the richness of the references of her clothes the ten years of experience can be felt in full.
Founded in 2020, Quira has remarkably come to the attention of the public and the press in recent months, with the nominee of Veronica as a semi-finalist and eventually as a finalist at the LVMH Prize 2023. Promoted by the homonymous luxury conglomerate, it is the most important award that every debutant fashion designer can aspire to in terms of opportunities and financial support. Untangling among the many commitments that the management of a brand and the imminent announcement of the winner of the LVMH Prize involve – the date is that of June 7, 2023 – Veronica retraced in words the path from Rome, her hometown, took her to other places and, ultimately, to Milan, where today is the showroom of Quira.
Veronica Leoni: the culture, the places and the people
Born in 1984, Veronica Leoni was raised in Rome, where her academic education took place. If her approach to fashion does not bring a date, but rather the sign of an innate instinct, the German designer Jil Sander is the one who first introduced her to the fashion industry: «After a degree in literature and philosophy at La Sapienza di Roma – says Veronica – the purest Made in Italy represented my true fashion academy. Among the most illustrious mentors who have marked my path I remember Paola Colaiacomo, professor of English Literature at my university, a “punk at heart” woman. She is the one who first enlightened me on fashion theory. I remember Ludovico Ariosto’s poem Orlando Furioso as a bolt of lightning through her point of view. And then I would certainly mention Jil Sander. A woman from another time, an extraordinary teacher, a lightning herself».
Places inform the story of Veronica as much as the names of the masters she met: «Rome is unique. The city of the heart since always, that embraces me and allows me to escape for some periods. Despite being home to extraordinary brands, I have never actually worked there. I have always been traveling, mostly abroad. Of Rome I love its being deconstructed, decomposed, sometimes excessively raw, and yet always beautiful and powerful. An example of “absence of discipline” that is and remains deep in my aesthetics. As for Milan, where Quira has its own showroom, I appreciate the efficiency and openness towards what is outside. It makes you feel a more international influence that facilitates connection and business with other countries. Besides, from a personal point of view, in Milan I lived some crazy and hilarious years».
Origin and story of the Quira project: a narration of contemporary femininity
Fashion, according to Veronica, is not and cannot be a vessel of frivolity. On the contrary, it must be the result of deep research and experimentation that can answer questions and propose new interrogations. Fashion must, in short, construct a story in relation to the non-superficial layers of reality: «Quira was born unexpectedly. It was an opportunity that I seized instantly. It was the possibility of telling a point of view that was only mine, purged of the superstructures of the industry, where the product and the design were the heart and the engine of everything. If I had to give a definition, I would say that Quira is a cross-section of contemporary femininity told through an essential, yet extravagant, wardrobe.
The Made in Italy and the formal refinement are the plus, the added value of garments produced in mostly artisanal scale. The inspiration that drives the project is a contemporaneity enriched with the most varied citations, as it is curious and eclectic. The muses of the project are women of style and action who represent themselves with elegance and body awareness. Here it is: the subtle and intimate line of elegance is the common thread that binds my women! As for the name I chose, Quira is the nickname my grandmother was called by her friends. A tribute that was also a way to center the project not so much on me, quite rather on my path».
Contemporary fashion, critical thinking and personal vision
Since the 1990s, the control of the dynamics of the fashion industry has passed from being the prerogative of designers to being the almost exclusive property of managing directors, the so-called CEOs. The chase to sell with the maximum margin and the definition of a marketing and communication strategy aimed at standardizing the taste of the public in favor of the income rather than the uniqueness of the product have limited the spaces of visibility for emerging designers.
«A critical analysis of the contemporary fashion system – explains Veronica – can be approached from various angles. Nevertheless, however you observe it, it presents complexity at every level. From the micro cosmos of Quira I cannot fail to notice a disarming gap between independent initiatives and luxury colossi, with the consequent risk of monopolizing the manufacture in Italy. To me, Made in Italy has always been a richness and an opportunity to make the product unique and recognizable on all levels of the business. For this reason, I consider it fundamental that it remains accessible and practicable in a transversal way».
«Coming to my personal approach, it is undoubtedly classic. I am particularly linked to fabrics, namely to that tactile dimension of design that passes through materials. I spend much of my time in the atelier: shapes and patterns have an attraction on me, that is a form of creative sex appeal. Fitting moments are equally fundamental as they enrich the storytelling of a collection just like the silhouettes that define it. Lastly, I am obsessed with finishes. Behind the apparent minimalism of my garments always hides a great abundance in the technique and in the smallest details that make up the whole».
Founding a brand amid difficulties and welcome returns – and why precisely quiet luxury?
«The historical moment is not the greatest. Quira is a project born during the pandemic, and this has further raised the level of an already uphill path. However, we have never been discouraged by circumstances. On the contrary, it gave us one more reason to remain steadfast around our purest instincts. First, to focus on the product, then to set a high standard below which we would never descend, and finally to offer an high-end experience mediated by a light spirit and a guerrilla gaze. These have been our first actions at the time of Quira’s formation.
Broadly speaking, in today’s market it is almost tangible a return to the product, to the value of the object understood in its materiality rather than as a mere representation. They call this return “quiet luxury” and I still wonder about the choice of such an adjective. There is nothing “quiet” around here. However, it is a change that makes me be optimistic and think that maybe, after all, we are on the right bank of the river».
LVMH Prize: instinctive and future thoughts
«Being among the semifinalists first and then among the finalists made me even more optimistic. As dated as it is, my presence in the industry is subtle and making so visible the project that most resembles me was not obvious. My first thought on the nomination announcement was to reflect on how proud I am of the work we are doing with Quira.
Today, we are working to make the project grow in an organic and consistent way on the global level, in order to constantly gain authority, authenticity and desirability. Beyond a desirable growth, I hope Quira never loses the flexibility and intimacy that only a compact and cohesive structure can offer. It is a type of energy that remains on the garments, it is inserted into the threads of the fabrics and makes them shine once on the hangers of the shops. The short chain is a luxury that I would like to protect always and, indistinctly».
LVMH Prize
Founded in 2014, the LVMH Prize is an international project born on the initiative of the LVMH – Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy – group, the multinational company owned by the Arnault family that incorporates more than seventy brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, Fendi and Bulgari. Every year a jury composed of the artistic directors of the fashion houses of the Group awards a particularly talented designer with a scholarship of 300,000 euros and a twelve-month consultancy aimed at developing the brand in terms of production, distribution, image, marketing, communication and intellectual property.
