We spoke with Nic Fanciulli about his collaboration with Numero 00

We caught up with Saved Records head honcho and Grammy-nominated producer Nic Fanciulli to talk about his recent collaboration with Luxe-Italian Streetwear Label Numero 00.

How did the collection with Numero 00 come around?

I’ve been a big Numero 00 fan since the beginning, and have always been really supportive of what they’ve been doing. They have a great drive and work ethic, and i really love the way they operate as a company and as people. As a label and brand, I found i was wearing a lot of their clothes on a daily basis, so a collaboration felt really organic. I’d just finished the collaboration with Marc Jacques Burton which was really well received, and i wanted to get into another collection with a brand, so Numero 00 just felt right.

The collection is named after your recently released album?

MY HEART has kind of evolved from the album into a platform to create interesting lifestyle opportunities; it’s not really one thing - it’s everything. I put my heart into every project I work on, so it’s apt that it’s all coming from that label. It just felt very natural to bring that aesthetic to a larger audience - we’ll be doing many more collaborative projects with the brand moving forward.

What was the initial influence behind the range?

The influence behind the range was developing something that I wear on a day-to-day basis when I’m touring. For the amount we travel we have to feel comfy, so I picked materials that would be great to travel in, but also to wear on a daily basis. I felt we found the perfect balance between what my heart is about and Numero 00.

You also recently collaborated with Marc Jacques Burton on an exclusive collection?

That was a lot of fun. Marc’s been a close friend for a long time, and we’d always wanted to do something together. We actually sold all the exclusive pieces out online, and it’s being sold at various stores around the World (including Le Claireur, Paris) now, so it’s been a great success. We may do something else together very soon - watch this space!

All the pieces are made in Italy. Is the quality of clothing important to you?

Extremely important. That’s one of the reasons i loved working with Valerio on this collection - going to the factory in Rimini, and seeing first hand where all the materials come from and how they’re pieced together was something i really enjoyed. Numero 00 has always had an innate quality, from the fabrics used to the design, it’s always been done really well, and i hope this collection is no different!

With two collaborations under your belt in under a year, you obviously have a strong interest in fashion. Is this something you see yourself continuing?

I think so - I really love fashion and the whole design and manufacturing process really interests me. I’m learning more and more about it, and it’s a really great creative outlet for me. The plan is to launch My Heart as a fully fledged clothing label in it’s own right - Until we’re ready to do that, i’m going to keep exploring different avenues of fashion and enjoy discovering and creating new possibilities.

How does the process of creating clothing differentiate from DJing and producing?

It’s fairly similar in that they’re both super individual processes - you can give someone the same materials and they’ll make a different product, in the same way you can give someone the same instruments and they’ll make a different track; It’s all subjective. Fashion is different in that you have some barriers and time constraints that you often need to adhere to - but i still see it as an equally exciting creative process. I’ve been observing the fashion world from afar for a long time, but i’m fairly new to being on this side of the creative process, so i’m still learning a lot and just enjoying being able to create with amazing people.

With the constant touring you must come across some great brands. Other than Numero 00, what are your favourites?

I wear a lot of streetwear brands - Off-White, Fear Of God, KITH, Anti Social Social Club. I’m really into Heron Preston at the moment, I used to love Been Trill (the brand he had with Virgil Abloh, YWP, Matthew Williams and Justin Saunders back in 2014), and his new collection is really interesting and exciting. I love what the CLOT guys are doing in Asia as well, they have some really exciting things coming up. In general i think streetwear and fashion is in a really interesting place - especially when it relates to music.

What, to you, makes a great piece of clothing?

There are a tonne of different factors, but i think expression comes into it a lot. You want to feel the designer is expressing his or her creativity, which leads to the wearer feeling a sense of expression in turn. I think it’s all about how it makes you feel.

Do you have any plans to release your own brand?

I’m working on some plans right now to launch MY HEART APPAREL as a standalone clothing brand. It’ll be some time before that launches, but it’s in motion.

And finally - you seem to be a busy man, with touring and designing. Do you have any tips on how to manage your schedule?

Have a good team around you, and never forget where you’re going - in every sense of the word!