Licia Florio

So, Licia, what is a lifestyle brand in your vision, and what is the silver lining that runs through all your projects?
Evolution is the keyword. Since ten years ago, all the projects have been evolving with me. I want to give my community and customers something more, that’s why we started with the idea of creating a never ending dialogue. It’s not about just selling a nice product, it’s about giving a little something, a few words or a suggestion that can improve or change their day.
In these years I realized that my label was not really matching the fashion calendar, because I wanted my collections to last and not being quickly substituted. So I decided to sell only via e-commerce a mix of products that are useful for people like me. This, for me is a lifestyle brand: creating lasting and useful products to love and keep as long as you can. That’s why the dialogue with people works, it is your mirror.

Traveling is one of your main inspirations. How does it shape your projects and ideas?
Travel means experimentation: of food, people and places. I love to get out of my comfort zone. Traveling is the silver lining of my life: it pushes you to be more creative and to experience new things. While I am sitting at a café, talking to people or observing them is a great starting point for ideas to flow.
While traveling I get the inspiration, I get in touch with people and I develop my business. For example, in the past I was producing my bags in Portugal and now in Sardinia, where a family weave - the straw for my Gia bags - their entire life. What I do is matching different ideas, research, and places: according to me, the north-west of France gives you total freedom, while Los Angeles represents a non-comfort zone.

What fascinates you the most about Positano and why you have left your heart there?
I love Positano because it is a completely different world: Italy is so special since every town is different from the other. I love Positano’s rocks and to immerse myself into the water, being in its pristine nature. I love the fact that you do not need a wifi connection as you already have everything you need to start connecting with the people around you.
I love its calm during late September and October or in April and May. I love Positano’s food and everything the old ladies cook (and spoil) for you with: marinara, friarielli, fresh lemons and tomatoes…Actually, the best place to eat is at their place, in their kitchen.

The places you would hit during your day in Positano?
Ideally, you wake up at Le Sirenuse hotel, it is chic and elegant, with a breathtaking seaview.
I would do some shopping at Emporio Le Sirenuse: you can find crop tops and skirts to bring back to the city a glimpse of its magic. In the shop I also get Eau d’Italie face and body creams and hair products that makes me feel like it is always spring, and the Paestum Rose perfume, a warm and embracing scent mixing pepper and Turkish rose: a treat that I use until autumn.
For a real Italian gelato, the answer is only Casa e Bottega, it’s really spectacular.
The aperitif must be at Franco’s Bar, open also during the day, it is on top of the town and showcases the yellow sculpture by Giuseppe Ducrot: get a fresh Margarita or the French 75, created by Robert Wimmer.
For dinner I choose Adolfo: it is a restaurant located on a private beach and the only way to reach it is by taking a small boat with a read plaque on. Remember to book at this number +39 089 875022, both for lunch or dinner… and if you want to spend your day on that part of the coast, remember to book your sunbeds too!

What are the unmissable artsy spots in Positano for a beauty seeker?
Just be aware, in Positano you can just walk around, lose yourself and look up to admire the real beauty of the place.
During a stroll, you can not miss the incredible Villa Romana, right in the town centre, and Piazza Flavio Gioia, decorated by the beautiful blush pink mosaics by Mimmo Paladino.
Another unique place is the Laboratorio Paolo Sandulli in Praiano, to see the artist’s terracotta sculptures decorated with sea sponges. I am so in love with the small sculptures with sponges of natural colors. After you visited the laboratorio, get a boat to plunge into the open sea.

What is the perfect outfit to experience the Positano’s mood?
Please leave your heels home: Positano is all stairs! Choose something white to wear, while Superga or espadrillas are ideal for your feet: the important is to wear something simple and breezy.

Photography is one of your things: what are the places in Positano that are definitely worth a pic?
If you want to take the iconic pic with the Positano beach in the background, walk from the piazza decorated by Mimmo Paladino, strike through the beach, then turn back to the camera. Furthermore, you can surely take a bunch of nice photos in the hall of the Sirenuse.

Where to go in the Positano surroundings for a sudden escape?
If you want to escape the crowd in town, just rent a boat and have a daily trip around the coast.

You’re leaving tomorrow for the best holiday on earth: where would you fly to?
It could be Île de Ré, but also Dinard, in the north of France. My ideal holidays are where the people over 60 are: where the weather is chilly, where you can feel the power of the ocean, where you do not sweat, and where things are tidy and give you enough space to think. This is the ideal place to get away. Also, since you are in France, do not forget to have yourself some good fresh rosé.