Conversation with Daniela Malpighi, founder and designer of Denny Rose’s brand.
Who is Denny Rose and what sort of woman does she wear?
I want to dress all women, from young girls till my 87-year-old mother that she still wears clothes from my collection. Obviously not miniskirts and T-shirts, even if she’s young, but dresses and coats.
We have a very wide range of items, just to meet all needs and all ages. Mine is a collection of 184 elegant and at the same time young pieces.
How did you approach fashion?
To answer we must go back forty years: I studied at stylist school, I liked practical things, and then I was an employee for 18 years. I learned a job, I familiarized with fabrics, colors and collections, but above all I worked a lot.
Then I decided to fly alone and make my company. I come from a normal family, I did everything alone, slowly, without ever taking a step longer than my leg, always with the awareness of my past and my willpower. I created the Denny Rose brand and recorded it in my name, even though at the time I was an employee of that company. In January 1994 the company was failing and I, with a crazy but reasoned gesture, decided to buy it by taking on all my debts. But people knew me, they trusted me and the brand started up again.
What was your strategy at the time?
The one of the two P: product and advertising. “Product” because I have always believed in doing things well and “advertising” because those were the years of marketing, of image.
I launched my collections with the strategy of the commercials, carpet advertising, we were very famous. In 2006 I invoiced 62 million euros, a very high amount, and there were only 17 of us doing everything: samples, expeditions, campaigns,
My accountant told me that I could expand, but I didn’t want to lose the pulse of the situation. They were fantastic years, of hyper work but also of great successes. In 2014, Gaudi, a company from Carpi, asked me to give them the brand to rent, I decided to accept, to devote some time to myself. Now I deal only with samples and style, and I dedicate my passion to free time: cars, and animals I have 3 French boule dogs, a Minipony and two goats
Excuse me, where did you find the inspiration?
I’ll tell you a secret that displaces her: I don’t move from home, I don’t go to fairs, I love looking at magazines on the sofa and watching TV. I take inspiration from this, from a look I see worn in a newspaper, from an outfit of a journalist, from movies, comedies. Now I’m passionate about “The lady in yellow”, I look at the looks, they are all very current. Picasso said that a good artist is the one who knows how to copy. Think of the Dolce & Gabbana, very good, they sacked everything from Sicily, a perfect copy, original and unique. On TV they tell me that Maria de Filippi does great things, but I don’t look at her, I only know that she is from 1961, like me.
Where does the name Denny Rose come from?
My name is Daniela, but everyone has always called me Denny, with “e”, like Danny Rose from Woody Allen’s movie. But it was Danny with the “a”.
That is a sad film and I chose it on purpose because from a bad thing a beautiful one is always born, this is my message.
What do you think about social networks?
My son and his girlfriend explained the strength of social media today. I’m still at the photo shoot, today they work mostly on Instagram and Facebook. I don’t follow influencers, but I like them, they are young girls who have invented a profession. As long as it lasts.
First he named the cars … his passion.
Oh yes, Lamborghini, Porche, Ferrari and Hammer are my cars, my joy, my only true passion. As a young girl I wanted to ride in the car, but we didn’t have the money to do the rally. My dad came to concentration camps, then he lived in France and then returned to Italy, we certainly couldn’t afford great things. But all the whims are taken away with time. Always remembering where I come from, and in fact I still live in the house that belonged to my dad.
