The truth in the veil: Interview with the designers of Inveloveritas

In a land that in its history finds every day new narrative shades, artistic, scientific, the traditional Sardinian clothing has still much to tell, because about its multiple and complex forms, which have crossed for centuries the Island like a continent, no one has yet managed to deeply pigeonhole the sources of inspiration.


A little as if the corittu (bodice) and the ragas (short skirt of male suit) had remained entangled in a web of religious, mythological and intimate ideas, that in the interweaving that leave the spectator - because a spectacle, really, it is - amazed and surprised, especially when to wear the clothing is the proud precious profile, a little Phoenician, of the Sardinian woman.


Are well aware about this Giuseppe Scalas and Maria Francesca Maniga, aka Morisca and MFM, who observed this vast and varied textile production and tried to transform it with a skilful creative mixtures of meanings, in compliance with the best practices of postmodern mix and revaluation of arts, signs and beauties.

Inveloveritas immediately hit the imagination of Sardinian boys and girls. How did the project start, the logo and your collaboration?

Both of us are fascinated by fabrics, shapes and architectures of clothing, traditional and contemporary. The project was born from the desire to express our point of view on female headdress traditional Sardinian costume, in its many variations, such as the veil in the strict sense, the shawl, the headset, the blindfold. We reflected about headdresses, for their aesthetic value, they could easily fit in contemporary clothing.
The logo was born of a cultural assessment: our t-shirt depicts a nude woman in profile with her head veiled. It is an image paradox between the stereotypes of freedom and closing attributed respectively to the nude, of a woman who takes her clothes off, and the veil of a woman who covers. We reflected on the freedom of expression, freedom stereotyped we give to nude and the possibility that a veil can in a certain way find the person wearing it as much or more of the nude. Hence the name Inveloveritas.


More and more youths from Cagliari try to make their way in the field of home made creativity. What is the secret to stand out?

The distinction is inherent in each person: what makes the difference is the fortune and also the will to express the self point of view and to do it according to the abilities of each. We have synthesized and transformed our points of view about the world that we are living through what we like to do.
Clearly the context in which one lives cannot be ignored, and indeed it is necessary to feed the visions that we have around, making these the background that supports the creation of our personal and distinct point of view, if we want our personal identity.

The craftsmanship of our Island has a long history and is appreciated by tourists from all over the world. What does the modern interpretation of Inveloveritas want to communicate?

The tourists appreciation is the crux of this question, because it is what helped to force a certain kind of craft, but not only, in what we call folklore. The Sardinian handicraft, but perhaps the self of Sardinians in general, is modeled more on the image that others have of us, rather than what we think about ourselves.
It is a complex speech, but fundamentally we believe that is more important to look inside ourselves, say something to the women and the men of Sardinia, rather than chase the image, while paying in economic terms, it does not help us to understand who we are and what we want to be.
We would like our t-shirt was first appreciated by Sardinians, by people who travel and discover the world, or remaining in the country where they were born and grew up, and that wearing it will feel totally free and contemporaries, communicating proudly who they are. Therefore every veil is decorated by hand, making each shirt unique, as unique is the way each woman worn accessory and live her life.

Inveloveritas as in vino veritas ... wine improves with aging: what can we expect from Morisca and MFM?

We would like to go on with the project of revaluation of Sardinian clothing headgears, perhaps with new graphics on new models ... until we will get to create a new headgear. On the road ... we will drink the new wine.