Dynamic design duo: Attico’s Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio shoot to fame

Nov 1 , 2016

Attico co-founders Gilda Ambrosio (left) and Giorgia Tordini.

Giorgia Tordini’s and Gilda Ambrosio’s different style and personality help them professionally, and their digital stardom makes their brand popular

If you think all fashion bloggers do is try to get a perfect street-style snap, it might be time to think again. Instagram sensations Giorgia Tordini and Gilda Ambrosio are leveraging on their social media stardom to build a luxury fashion business.

The design duo met me for the interview in their showroom in Paris’s posh Marais district. Although they have just flown in from Milan, the busy fashion month city-hopping tour didn’t seem to have taken a toll on their camera-ready looks.

“It’s coffee,” Ambrosio says. “I drink maybe 10 coffees a day.”

A look from Attico’s spring-summer 2017 collection that puts a feminine touch on the brand’s signature robe silhouette.

Ambrosio’s coffee consumption is easily justified given the amount of work that goes into their brand Attico. The Italian “it” girl duo – Ambrosio counts 129,000 Instagram followers while Tordini has 72,300 fans – launched their new fashion brand Attico (meaning “penthouse” in English) in February this year. The two were both stylists and designers by training before gaining popularity online.

“The fact that we are digital influencers helped us communicate the work we do,” Tordini says. “With a significant amount of followers who are interested in helping us, [we were able to] push our project and brand a lot. We can also show how we would style the looks directly from our [social media platforms].”

The young brand quickly made it onto the industry know-hows’ radar and also created a following among customers. Now their coveted collection is stocked by luxury e-commerce sites including Net-a-Porter, MatchesFashion as well as brick-and-mortar institution Opening Ceremony.

A look from Attico’s autumn-winter 2016 collection

“We were both very into robe dresses and in September last year, we decided to do a small collection of the dresses that we love,” Tordini recalls.

“We began thinking ‘let’s just do a few pieces, nothing big’ and [the collection] actually became big,” Ambrosio adds.

The tipping point of their overnight success also has much to do with their social media presence. When they announced the news of their collection on Instagram in January, they got a surprising message from Lisa Aiken, Net-a-Porter’s retail fashion director asking to see their lookbook.