Adam Appugliesi remains unapologetically authentic
The Libero founder on the brand's "spicy" new collection, and why he wants to dress Kid Cudi.
VANCOUVER – If you’ve ever driven a Fiat across the rolling Tuscan hillsides, or sipped Aperol spritzes near the Venetian shipyards, then, like me, you have perhaps experienced what the Italians call la dolce vita. Loosely translated, it means the sweet life. And that only scratches the surface. From the olive toned beauties lining piazza’s across the country, to the sheer abundance of gelato, to tour Italy is to bear witness to a different way of Western life. Whether it’s food, music, or fashion, few things can compare to the authentico experience. Just ask Libero founder Adam Appugliesi.
Born and raised in Toronto, the 27-year-old is no stranger to the beautiful country. Not only did he spend a few years literally kicking it in Italy trying to play pro ball (see: soccer), but he is actively bringing an old world sensibility back to men’s fashion. In just three years, he and his team have taken their brand of hand sewn garments international, catching the attention of GQ’s editors, while simultaneously blurring the line between baggy streetwear and bespoke tailoring to great, and sometimes gender-bending, effect. With another drop set for tomorrow, Thursday, 11AM EST, it seemed like the perfect time to chat with my new piasano.
Our conversation, which occurred one late Friday night, has been edited and condensed for clarity. It touched on the beginnings of Libero, Adam and his girlfriend Lanni’s first trip to B.C., and the enduring appeal of Kid Cudi. Through it all, Adam was sure to shout out his team, including 75-year-old seamstress and honorary nonna Michelina, who helped hand stitch every piece. Talk about keeping it in the family.
ES: You’re working super late. What are you up to over there?
AA: We’re two weeks away from the launch date, which nobody knows but you and my team. I’m in the office, we’re putting together press kits, putting together look books. I have [team member] Jeene working on e-commerce and all our socials. There’s a lot of stuff that happens behind the scenes, which, funny enough, takes more time than anything else.
ES: For people who don’t know about the brand, can you tell us a little bit about Libero? I understand the name has a special meaning for you.
AA: It was my grandfather’s first name. It’s actually funny, I don’t know if I’ve spoken about this, but we had another name for the brand when we first started out. It was taken on Instagram and everywhere. And we loved the name but we had to switch super last minute, right before we did a release. My best friend, Kadeem, at the time was like, “You should just go with your second thought.” I said, “I don’t know, it’s just my grandfather’s name — is that a good look for us?” and he was like, “Look, it sounds good.”
ES: Do you want to tell you what the name was or do you not want to go down that road?
AA: I cannot remember it for the life of me. I think Libero, the way it looks text wise, is cool. I don’t know if I’m biased but I really like it.
ES: And so that’s where the name came from, but tell me a little bit about yourself. You’re young right — like only 27?
AA: Younger dude, old soul is what I’ve been told. I grew up in Toronto. If you can’t tell already, very Italian background, Italian descent. I grew up in Italy from age eighteen, nineteen to something like twenty-one, twenty-two. So, four or five years in Europe. I was playing soccer out there for the longest time. Massive soccer fan, I grew up playing. I went there with hopes of going pro. I tried my best, it didn’t work out, which kind of led to the birth of Libero. I came home and didn’t know what to do. I was working at Holt Renfrew. It’s kind of like the show How to Make It in America… Like, we’ve been talking about this stuff, why don’t we do something about it?
ES: You mentioned the soccer connection. People forget now, but in the ’90s, when we were growing up, I remember that pro soccer players were sort of the only fashionable athletes out there. Obviously a lot has changed since then, but I imagine that must have been an inspiration for Libero?
AA: I was talking about it with a friend of mine during the Euro tournament this summer. He posted a picture of a classic Italian soccer player on Instagram and I was like “Man, this is what I grew up with.” These are like their original style guys. Obviously you have your Jimi Hendrix and you have your original style icons, guys of those demeanour. Legends, right? But if you look at the nineties and eighties, it was like football players. These soccer guys were like wearing necklaces while they were playing, they were wearing earrings while they were playing. They were coming off the planes with Louis Vuitton bags… It just kind of became innate in me, like “Oh, it’s OK to dress really well as a guy.”
ES: It’s interesting that you reference Hendrix… Musicians have always been a big source of style inspo for me, especially growing up. Is that kind of the same for you?
AA: For me, it’s sort of both sides of the spectrum. Growing up I was a massive hip-hop fan. Kanye West taught me everything that I need to know... his pink polos and all that. And then, the older I got, it was like Alex Turner [from the Arctic Monkeys] and Julian from The Strokes. They were so cool. And I think, for fashion, it goes to skateboarding and it goes to rock stars. Those for me are the original style icons because they were really pushing the envelope, trying new things and always very unapologetic, which for me is what Libero is also about. We’re very unapologetic in the way that we create things. We have a demeanor, we have a very stylish idea, but we’re not really paying attention to trends. We make what we want to make. We’re not looking to make anybody happy… We’re always looking to push the envelope. Our e-commerce model, Ari, is always female. And people always ask me, “Are you making men’s clothes, making women’s clothes?” I’m like “We’re just making stuff.”
ES: Changing gears a little, I saw that you were in B.C. recently. First time in the province?
AA: Yeah, first time in Vancouver. I’ve been meaning to go for a long time. A very good friend of mine, who I met in Europe, lives out there, who I was meaning to catch up with. Lanni and I didn’t have anywhere else to go because of COVID and prices were super inexpensive. Like a thousand bucks round trip for two tickets. And yeah, honestly, I had a blast - it was better than I expected.
ES: To be honest, that’s a very common review. I think people from Toronto don’t always know what to expect when they’re coming out this far. It is a huge lifestyle change. But by the end of the week, they’re usually pretty sold on it.
AA: It’s super tight out there. I love it. It’s just nice that you have sea, mountains, whatever you want you’ve got it right there. I’m not a very big hiker, skier, or any of those things, but I did appreciate it a great deal. I find that the only thing that’s missing, correct me if I’m wrong, is you guys don’t have like a big culture scene, because your culture scene is the great outdoors.
ES: Yeah, I think that’s the biggest strike against the city. What did you think of the way people dress out here?
AA: It was very fitting of the surroundings.
ES: So… a polite way of saying we dress like trash.
AA: I wouldn’t say trash! It’s very active. Very, very active. You have incredible brands, Canadian brands, that have started from there. Some of my favourites, some that you cannot fucking walk anywhere without seeing someone wear it. Aritzia. Arc’teryx. Reigning Champ. Wings + Horns. All these spectacular brands that have started from out west that are fantastic.
People’s style, though? Not really it. Not a lot going on. But again, it’s not really the priority. You also have some incredible stores. You have a Stüssy store, you have Neighbour, which is an incredible store that used to be in Toronto. Really easy vibes when you walk into the shop, the guys are super cool and easy going. But no, the Vancouver style is not for me. And I might have looked like a maniac to you guys.
ES: You mention Arc’teryx. It seems to me that Libero is sort of the antithesis to technical outerwear or GORPcore. Can you describe a little bit like what your design principles are or kind of your approach to clothing?
AA: We are the opposite of technical but my favourite brands are Stone Island, and the technical side of Prada. I do plan, one day, to get into very technical wear, or make a subdivision of Libero that is strictly tone on tone, very seamless, turn-the-jacket-into-a-car sort of thing… The guys at Arc’teryx, the guys at Stone Island, they're having fun and they're making their own rules. It’s a blast.
When it comes to how we currently make clothes, I don't want to say this, but we literally make clothes that I just really want to wear and things that I don't always find… Things that I love and that I think are sometimes missing in the market. And I do try to make things that have femininity to it. Because, believe it or not, some of my best customers are female. It could just be exposure, could just be how it works out. But that’s what we kind of gravitate towards. I think there’s something beautiful in femininity and masculinity colliding.
I also like to make things that are practical and useful. I say it like this all the time, if you're downtown with your homies and you're hanging out, you can wear Libero. But the second you need to leave and go meet your girlfriend's parents, you can still wear Libero.
ES: A Libero for all occasions, if you will.
AA: Exactly.
ES: The brand has already graced the pages of GQ, but I'm thinking about the red carpet. What celebrity would you like to dress in Libero?
AA: That’s so tough. I love film, I love movies.
ES: Can I guess who I think your answer will be?
AA: Be my guest.
ES: De Niro. Harry Styles. Chalamet.
AA: Bob would be super cool, but I wish I had Bob like ten, twenty years ago.
ES: See, I think it would be cooler to see him styled by you now. DeNiro Libero – 2022.
AA: Listen, from your lips to God’s ears. I really hope that happens one day. I’d hang up everything, close the website. It really doesn’t get better.
ES: It’s good to know what your limit is.
ES: Would you do Brad Pitt?
AA: Yeah, kind of? I think he’s too pretty. Same with George Clooney, even though he’s the bomb.
ES: Would you do what’s his name, Michael from the Sopranos?
AA: Yeah, that would be amazing. I would definitely dress all of The Sopranos cast, that’d be super awesome. You know, actually, who would be really cool? Oscar Isaac. He’s very kind of normcore looking, but he looks dashing in a lot of clothes. Kid Cudi, too, if that would ever be possible, just because that’s like my hero.
ES: A lot of people love Kid Cudi. I don’t get it! Can you explain to me, like give me an elevator pitch. What has this man done for you?
AA: How old are you?
ES: 30.
AA: I think you just maybe missed the boat of the Kid Cudi renaissance. Anybody that I know who loves Kid Cudi was kind of an outcast. He was the voice for that kid that had such creativity and nobody talked about it. I think now more than ever, the jock has died and the creative is now living and that’s coming from a jock. Like, I only did sports my life. But Cudi spoke to that creativity, and he was, again, unapologetic. He did his own thing, always tried something new with music. He spoke from a point of depression and anxiety, where a lot of people deal with depression and anxiety. And the best way that people kind of dealt with that is through their music, listening or creating. Making fashion or dressing fashionable, also living through your expression. So yeah, he’s the GOAT, in my opinion.
ES: So is it fair to say that like it’s not solely a music thing, it’s kind of like him as a person?
AA: It’s his whole aura. It’s his whole vision of life. There’s this TED talk of him that I would definitely recommend. He’s so well-read and he’s so well-versed in life.
ES: I would not normally ask this question, but it’s just kind of come up in my own writing a little bit, you know, as I’ve been navigating anxiety and mental health stuff. Is any of that fuelling your work with Libero, or was it at play beforehand, when your sports dreams didn’t work out?
AA: It’s a massive fuel to the fire that is Libero. Very, very, very few people know this about the brand, or know this about me, but my best friend Kadeem passed away. He took his own life a couple of years ago. He was my best guy. Homie for life. Still is. He pushed me to do this.
ES: I’m sorry.
AA: Don’t be. It’s a part of life and we still like cherishing him everyday through the brand. And he was like: “You really like this fashion stuff?” “Yeah,” “OK, so do something about it.” I was like, “What do you mean?” He was like “Why not?” And the very first image of Libero is him wearing the jacket that we first created. In my eyes, he is still the co-owner, co-creator, co-everything of the brand. So definitely depression and anxiety has a main pillar within the brand because everything we do is for him, and we try to always be advocates for people that are trying to express themselves but don’t really know how to.
ES: I don’t want to keep you up any later than I already have. Let’s do a quick lightning round and call it a day. What is the theme song for Thursday’s Libero drop?
AA: Frank Sinatra “That’s Life”.
ES: What Italian dish pairs best with this drop?
AA: Penne arrabiata. It’s like a take on normal pasta, penne, but spicy. There’s nothing super spicy in this collection in terms of say, colour, but this is the spiciest in terms of tailoring details, clarity, cuts. Everything is still handmade by Michelina, who is 75.
ES: Last question is. You’re a big movie guy. What are we watching in our new Libero?
AA: I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that we basically copied the colour grading for Godfather Part II for our campaign. If you love the movie, you will absolutely fall in love with this collection. Best movie ever made.
Adam Appugliesi is the founder of Libero, a handmade clothing brand based out of Toronto. The company’s new collection drops Thursday, October 21, at 11AM EST, and will be available through the Libero webstore.