Photo Credits: Courtesy of Antonio Grimaldi

What is beauty, if not a conversation between the visible and the unseen? What is creation, if not the alchemy of memory, desire, and spirit? Antonio Grimaldi inhabits this liminal space — a place where fabric becomes philosophy, where a dress is not merely an adornment but an inquiry into the essence of form and soul. His work does not seek to decorate, but to reveal: the architecture of emotion, the asymmetry of lived experience, the lightness hidden within strength. Each stitch is a meditation on impermanence, each silhouette, an attempt to give shape to the intangible.

Grimaldi does not simply clothe the body — he dresses the unseen self, that inner landscape where tradition and innovation converge, where the past whispers into the future. With his latest collection, Edonismo Couture, this vision takes on new dimensions inviting us to explore pleasure, freedom, and the transformative power of beauty as philosophy.

To encounter his haute couture is to step into a sanctuary – one built not of stone or steel, but of curves, textures, and ideas that challenge our perception of beauty and, perhaps, of ourselves.

Your work lives at the threshold between tradition and innovation. For you, Antonio, what does it mean to reinvent the new without losing the essence of the past? Is tradition a foundation — or a ghost with which we must converse?

AG – My work cannot ignore tradition, all those tailoring techniques that have made haute couture unrivalled. Obviously, it is necessary to constantly renew oneself, even from a stylistic point of view. Cuts and techniques must necessarily adapt to a contemporary style.

Your creations seem to sculpt matter while setting it free. When you speak of feminine beauty, do you see it as something clothed in form — or as a presence that transcends the body itself?

AG – My clothes always take the female body into account, respecting and enhancing it. Clothes must always be in harmony with the body, never overpowering it.

“Edonismo Couture” carries a name that evokes pleasure, freedom, and a certain philosophical daring. What was the seed of this collection — what inner or outer world inspired it?

AG – I wanted to look at the hedonism of the 1980s to rewrite the narrative of contemporary couture. Years of pleasure, well-being, luxury lived as a lifestyle and personal affirmation. A carefree era, in which beauty is declared and celebrated.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of Antonio Grimaldi

Haute couture is often a mirror of its time, yet also a rebellion against it. In what ways does Edonismo Couture speak to the present moment and in what ways does it transcend it?

AG – Edonismo Couture speaks of conscious hedonism, where fashion is not just about aesthetics and beauty but is an act of freedom, personal well-being and strength. With this collection, I wanted to give that strength, that pleasure of existing fully, without asking permission.

Could you walk us through some of the techniques, fabrics, or artistic choices that make this collection unique? How do these elements embody your vision?

AG – The collection consists of 27 looks, alternating between flowing dresses and sculptural constructions. The shapes move and transform thanks to a continuous interplay of laser-cut ribbons that become bodices, stoles, capes, skirts and architectural details, while large volumes of tulle open up into macro ruffles and sculpted petals, also laser-cut, which shape mini dresses and overcoats. The focus is on materials: deep velvet, impalpable organza, crêpe cady, chiffon, tulle and silk cady follow one another in a tactile and visual narrative, in which each fabric accentuates the contrast between structure and lightness.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of Antonio Grimaldi

Many describe your language as “wearable architecture.” When you create, do you begin with the physical body or with an invisible space: an idea, a sensation, a state of soul?

AG – My inspiration definitely comes from the beauty I see around me, from a journey, from a memory, from anything that moves me.

Your journey has carried you from Salerno to Rome, and from there to the very heart of Parisian Haute-Couture. How have these geographies shaped not only the designer but also the man you have become?

AG – Each of these places is fundamental to my experience as a designer. I began my studies at the Art Institute in Salerno, then continued in Rome, the cradle of Italian haute couture, where I learned the techniques and trained alongside some of the greatest couturiers. Paris is an international centre that helped me gain fame and notoriety.

You often speak of “redefining feminine beauty.” In a world saturated with images and standards, where do you find authentic beauty? Does it arise from the gaze, the gesture, the spirit?

AG – Just a few years ago, I presented a collection inspired by the Nike of Samothrace. It is a universal model of beauty, strength and artistic virtuosity. Yet the sculpture of the Nike of Samothrace, mutilated and marked by time, is also an example of imperfection. In an age when beauty is an unattainable model, the Nike represents its authentic value, freed from the cage of perfection.

Over the years, you have dressed princesses, actresses, and artists. But in the silence of your atelier, for whom do you truly create? For an invisible muse? For an ideal? For the very act of creation itself?

AG – I think about the women in my life. Whether they are friends, clients, princesses or celebrities, each one of them gives me that little something extra that fuels my inspiration.

Haute couture demands time, contemplation, and surrender. Is there something sacred in the act of sewing? For you, is creation technique, meditation — or prayer?

AG – It is a meditative act, a refuge from stress.

When you envision the person who wears Edonismo Couture, who is she (he)? Is it a muse, an archetype, or perhaps an extension of yourself?

They are all women whose beauty comes from self-awareness. It is precisely thanks to this inner strength that they shine with a unique light, where beauty needs no justification.

If your creative journey could be contained in a single word — one that defines you as both artist and human — what would that word be?

AG – Love