Soul Over Speed: Alessia of Cynara on Fragile Beauty and Handmade Couture
Windflower is a fashion editorial photographed by Giulia Catania with model Emilia Ling, wearing pieces by the handmade label Cynara, with makeup by Beatrice Coppetti. It is one of the twenty editorials in MALVIE MAIN ISSUE 72, the 190-page, perfect-bound November 2026 main issue of MALVIE Magazine. Below, Alessia, the designer behind Cynara, talks about fragility, fabrics with a past and the slow art of making everything by hand.
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Alessia of Cynara: the interview
In Cynara's creations, delicacy and fragility become a shield against the harshness of the outside world. When did you first see fragility as a strength, and how do you translate that idea into a garment someone can wear?
The Cynara project was born during a period of personal vulnerability, a time when I felt a strong need to protect my sensitivity. Right as I was learning the art of couture, I came across the myth of the nymph Cynara—transformed by Zeus into an artichoke, a plant with a thorny, tough exterior hiding a soft, tender heart. I realized right then that my creations had to tell this very story: a sense of beauty that safeguards a gentle soul.
In every capsule collection, I translate this vision through weightless fabrics, plays of transparency, ethereal color palettes, and silhouettes that gracefully accentuate the body.
Nature echoes through all of your work. Which forms, textures or moments in nature speak to you most, and how do they find their way into your designs?
Nature inspires me most in its quiet, fleeting moments—the delicate geometry of dried petals, the translucency of light passing through leaves, or the soft decay of organic forms. I am drawn to textures that evoke tactile warmth and subtle contrasts, like rough botanical husks housing fragile seeds. In my designs, these influences emerge through organic draping, botanical color palettes, layerings that mimic natural transparency, and raw-edge details that feel grown rather than manufactured.
Every piece is made by hand, from the first idea and hand drawn patterns to construction and finishing. What does working this way allow you to say that a faster process never could?
Crafting every garment by hand allows me to embrace soul over speed. Fast fashion demands cold perfection and uniformity, whereas a slow, artisanal process welcomes the human element—the subtle nuance, the tiny imperfection, the detail that ends up slightly differently than planned, yet remains perfect in its essence. Working this way imbues each piece with intention, memory, and intimacy, creating a quiet dialogue between the hands that made it and the person who wears it.
Your fabrics come from the surplus stock of the great fashion houses. How does working with fabrics that already have a past shape the direction of each capsule collection?
Working with deadstock and surplus fabrics means starting with a story that has already begun and I let the fabrics guide the collection. The tactile weight, the vintage weave, or the limited quantity dictates what a piece wants to become. This constraint becomes a source of endless freedom: it demands spontaneity, respects existing resources, and ensures that every capsule is inherently limited, poetic, and unrepeatable.
Hand embroidery makes every creation one of a kind. Can you take us through the moment you decide where the embroidery goes, and what you want it to add to the piece?
The decision on where to place embroidery is completely intuitive and usually happens when the garment is finished and I let it speak to me. Hand embroidery acts as a gentle accent; it is not meant to overwhelm, but rather to draw the eye closer, offering a quiet reward to anyone who pauses to look at the craftsmanship up close.
Slow production is at the heart of Cynara. How do you see the brand growing in the years ahead while staying true to this way of creating?
For Cynara, growth is not about volume or mass expansion, but about deepening my craft and refining my voice. I envision the brand evolving as a sanctuary for slow luxury—building a loyal community that values intimacy, sustainability, and artistic integrity. Moving forward, growth will mean expanding my creative universe through bespoke commissions, artistic collaborations, and limited-run capsules, proving that a brand can thrive by remaining small, thoughtful, and deeply connected to its roots.
Windflower credits
Photographer: Giulia Catania @giuliacatania_
Model: Emilia Ling @_.emilin._
Fashion Designer: Cynara @cynara_sartoria
Makeup Artist: Beatrice Coppetti @_biceartsy
Windflower fashion credits
Wardrobe — Cynara sartoria
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