PALM ANGELS

In order to create and progress, a point of view is mandatory. The rest follows. Milan-born Francesco Ragazzi started Palm Angels in 2011 as a photographic documentation of LA’s skater culture. The endeavor evolved into a book, published by Rizzoli in 2014, and subsequently into clothing in 2015. The photographic gaze onto a peculiar and long-lasting subculture is the same Ragazzi applies to the collection. The coherence, hence, is in the point of view. It’s the expressive means that differ.Coming from an Italian background, Ragazzi was fascinated by the skater’s laissez faire and their idea of life lived according to individual rules. He photographed them keeping an outsider’s eye. Palm Angels, likewise, stems from an Italian take on American culture and subcultures. It merges an appreciation for sartorial codes and a joy for fabric with a proclivity for using clothing as identity tropes and cultural signifiers. Ragazzi’s aim is to appropriate key elements, transmogrifying them to give a new meaning while keeping the authenticity and telling a story. His own story.Palm Angels is essentially a vision, with a real human being behind it.