Engaging with Tradition: A Planet Conversation with Filippa Lagerbäck

More information: www.malo.it

Filippa Lagerbäck has been the face of photographic, cinematographic and Tv works inspired by fashion since the early ’90s. You can find her exquisitely crafted fashion scrolls, mom moods, and magnanimous philanthropy in her green witty-esque blog “planetfil”
Your first years, from Milano to New York, were spent striving to absorb the vastness of fashion and propecia generic from india the world as a model. What drew you to buy generic cialis the language and culture particularly in Italy? Do you consider fashion a kind of language as well?
Fashion is definitely a global language that connects the whole world, it’s the perfect business card of showing who you are, to express your personality or choosing to remain neutral. Dress codes for different occasions are extremely important in order to fit in, to match a corporate message or to express a point of view.
I travelled the world as a model for many years, although I might have understood the vastness and importance of fashion only when I actually stopped modeling. I was quite young at the time, concentrating on the traveling and the castings, the different cultures and languages to pick up and learn. I didn’t know anything about fashion, making me the perfect white canvas to be “painted” by stylists, designers, makeup artists and photographers. Models were not quite the style icons that they have become off the runway, today.
I always loved Italy, the stylish fashion scene, it’s warm hearted people and incredible culture- not to mention the food! 🙂 But in the end, it was love that brought me here… Romance in Italy… do I have to add anything else?
Stella is a healthy fashionable daughter! I am most interested in how do you negotiate the boundaries of the mommy-ness. Does your celebrity alter that relationship? What would be the best MALO Bimbo AI 2013-2014 outfit for her?
Stella is not a fashion addict, although she is starting to get her own style and has strong opinions of what she DOES NOT like. She wants her clothes to be functional, comfortable and easy to put on, being a very active girl. She prefers to become a designer and not a model, at least for now… following in mum’s footsteps is not an option! Her favorites are long cosy sweaters and cardigans to be worn on top of a pair of leggings matched with high-top Converse.
Complimenti, you achieved an honest voice (not an echo) for engaging your reader’s emotions in your blog “planetfil”. How decisive is the feeling of connectedness between you and the readers in your editorial choices? Or is it a spontané blogging of every “Fili” spur of the moment?
Communicating without filters was my original idea and wish, when creating my “planet”. I am very active on the blog, taking part in discussions and answering any questions from my readers. I wanted to create a space where I could share all the great things, ideas and projects that I have the luck to be part of and to experience. Reaching out to people, creating an online community were crucial in my choice of communication strategy. I am still a one-woman-show: taking the pictures, editing, searching for material and writing the English and Italian parts of the blog. It takes some time, but when your work is your passion, nothing is difficult!
You love, in true love, scarfs and bicycles! I even saw a MALO scarf! Why do you admire MALO’s way to concretely connect with Italy’s cultural and historical legacies?
I’ve been having a not-so-secret love affair with MALO for about 20 years by now. I actually “invested” some of my first paychecks in some incredible MALO sweaters, that I continue to keep and wear, still perfect after many cosy moments spent together. I’m also a “scarf-a-holic”, I just cannot get enough, the scarf being the perfect accessory to “pimp” an outfit or to stay warm riding my bike. I can wear a light dress all year around if I get to wear a scarf which keeps my perfectly warm and happy! MALO stands for genuine Italian elegance and quality for me.
Your first person participatory approach is genuine. Honestly, it is akin to the will of a model & Tv personality like you to investigate her own beliefs through participation and active biking! What was your motivation for writing your book “Io pedalo. E tu”?
Thank you for asking! Growing up in Sweden, the bicycle has always been the perfect mode of transport for me. It’s ecological, economical and very democratic- within the reach of anyone’s economy. It actually makes you save time and money, while keeping you fit, caring for the environment at the same time! Having my daughter grow up in a big city like Milan, made me want to take action to try to change people’s habits, in order to make the city a more people-friendly place to live in, and to decrease the level of pollution…coming together we can make big changes. The bike is in symbol of that change for me!
“In my heart, the children. In my head, thousands of ideas. In my legs, a lot of energy. At my wrist, pearls of Uganda.” I could not help, moved by your words, to recall thirteenth-century Zen Buddhist teacher Dōgen whom said: “The entire phenomenal universe and the empty sky are nothing but a painting.”
How of a painting in your soul was the CBM Italia Onlus trip to Africa?
I’ve been an Ambassador for the CBM Italia Onlus organization for many years, but this was the first trip that I made, visiting hospitals and the slums of Kampala, to experience the incredible work they do.
(CBM is the world’s largest international non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for blind and disabled children, women and men living in the world’s poorest countries.)
I was extremely moved by what I saw, the children living in the slums, running naked in the dirty streets full of garbage, having absolutely nothing, but never stopping to smile though! I came back just as fashion week was about to start in Milan, and the extreme contrast worried me. But then I realized the incredible power of the fashion industry, all the good things that they do, and I started to focus my energies to try and organize events and fashion collaborations, in order to collect funds for the work of CBM. Two different world coming together! I try to always keep my Planet-fil motto in mind: “fil-good, fil-positive”. One step at a time-together, we can change the word!
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