Meet Our DOERS
We at ANTI-DO-TO believe in change. We believe that our choices have consequences, our decisions power and our actions impact. We believe in the power of community and know that, together, we can truly make a difference.
Never before had a year had so much impact on our daily lives, our choices, our freedom, our priorities. But if there is one thing this year has taught us is that among all the pain, the challenges, the struggles, only by sticking together can we survive, move forward and change things.
We wanted you to meet part of our community and inspire you to wear the change. Started as a homage to our hometown during these unprecedented times, Milan, we decided to collaborate with six people who, in their day-to-day lives, use their voices to break boundaries and challenge stereotypes, who share our values and are ready to get up and act now. And it’s by making a difference that they truly are, in our eyes, the DOERS of the future.
We asked them to share with us their stories and their projects, whilst they showed us a part of Milan that truly represented them. They are real voices and real people that fully share our ANTI-DO-TO beliefs and that’s what makes them invaluable. We invite everyone who believes in the same values as us to be a part of the change, to be a Manifesto for those values and to inspire further change.
Now, without further ado, meet our DOERS:
GISELLE, 28, Content Creator and Body Positive Model
Tell us who you are.
I am Lina Giselle, I am 28 years old. I was born and raised in Colombia up to the age of 17 after which I moved to Italy with my whole family.
Diversity, new inclusive aesthetic standards. Do we talk about it too much or too little?
Surely there are those who talk about it very superficially just to ride the wave of being inclusive and having a wide range of people. There is a need for diversity to be applied to all levels of society not just in advertisements or fashion shows, people must be included in everything so that everyone feels represented here.
What can we do, in your opinion, to change this?
Change definitely starts from a single person, it definitely doesn’t come from the public, it starts from a single person doing something who then involves other people so the fact that everyone does their best is essential for change. Personally, on my social media profiles, I am very vocal about what I care about and what I believe in, whether that is racial discrimination or discrimination based on appearance, I want to share my thoughts because I believe this opens a dialogue and I believe that if each person in their own small way starts a dialogue, we can all reach a change in our society.
What do self-acceptance and body positivity mean to you?
Being aware that I will not always feel good with my body, with myself and that it is okay to not always feel that way, not always feel beautiful, not always feel at my best. However, be sure of who you are and then show it, mostly with your attitude. It doesn’t matter if you’re beautiful, it’s what you transmit with your energy and with what you give to other people that matters.
ELENA, 25, Environmental Activist
Tell us who you are and what you do.
My name is Elena Clara Maria Rossetti, I have a very long name. I come from Tortona which is a town in the province of Alessandra, in Piedmont. I am 25 years old and I am majoring in Materials Science, physics and chemistry of materials. This is the reason why, for some years now, I have been talking about plastic and science and I have been interested in talking about sustainability from a quantitative point of view. When I began my studies, I was in Milan even if now I am in Rome and therefore, for me, Città Studi represents first times.
Is there a particular theme or cause that you feel yours at this moment?
I wear second-hand or recycled clothes, so for me, sustainable fashion is definitely one of the themes closest to my heart, but the reason why, basically, I went from the shy person I am to this is that my housemates did not know how to recycle, therefore, it was the desire to change things around me.
Do you believe in change? How do you put it into practice every day?
I strongly believe in a passion for individual change that can lead to a great social change and, above all, I believe in the green wave effect generated by a small gesture that is then shared with others and with this I try to show how much I believe in specific things I do so that other people can notice it as well.
ENRIQUE, 23, Skater
Tell us who you are and what you do.
My name is Enrique Migliorini, I am 23 years old and I am a skater.
Why did you choose this location?
For the shooting, I chose the Lampugnano skatepark, I have a lot of memories in that skatepark, I have a lot of feelings that come back to mind and I would like to re-live them so that we can get inspired and grow.
Everyone talks about skateboarding but few really know something about it. Can you tell us a skating misconception you can’t stand and one instead that is true?
What I think it’s a hoax is the fact that we are vandals because perhaps we jump on the walls, we smooth the edges for a moment, maybe they get dirty but, in the end, we don’t break them and, in my opinion, we also use them in a way no one ever thought they could be used. Just because someone wears oversized trousers, it doesn’t mean they are vandals. The great thing is that we are all one big family. I happened to go skating in Barcelona and met a guy I had never seen before and he invited me to his house in England and stuff like that so it’s being skaters that makes us all great brothers.
Do you believe in change?
Each one of us can create a big change but I think that we must all unite and team up because, in my opinion, we can change some things on our own but not too much.
GIACOMO, 26, Music Producer
Tell us who you are and what you do.
Hi, I’m Giacomo, I’m 26 years old, I live in Milan and I work as a sound designer and music producer. Since 2016, I have a collective with whom we work mainly in audio-video and installations. I founded it together with four other people and, since 2018, we also have a record label we work with. During the past few months, we put up a sort of charity page where we raised some money to send during the Black Lives Matter protests.
Can you tell us a little better about your project Funclab?
Funclab is an audiovisual collective founded in Milan in 2016 with four other people and, since 2018, we also have a record label called Funclab Records within which we have dedicated a section called Enough is Enough where we raise funds through music and donate them to causes that interest us, that concern us.
Do you believe in change?
I believe in daily change, starting from the very small things such as knowing how to recycle, knowing how to crush a plastic bottle, not vertically but horizontally, not spending two hours in the shower. All these little things that, however, on an environmental level then have an impact if every individual is careful.
LORENZO, 22, Skater
Tell us who you are and what you do.
I’m Lorenzo, I live in Brescia, I study graphic design and, in addition to this, I have many other passions and almost all of them originated from the skating world. Skating is simply not a world in which there is only one culture, that is, all just skateboarding, but it is a much larger world that connects art to design to music and it includes many other people with many passions and dreams. When you enter this beautiful world there are so many cultural influences that are not just those of skateboarding but also that of art and fashion.
Can you tell us a bit more about Pastafrolla Squad?
Pastafrolla Squad really is a squad, a group of people that simply started as a group of friends almost as a joke in 2014 and then later became a much larger thing, it became a brand, it was transformed into a collective of creatives, a mix of many things. This was born to get out of what was the state of oppression that we felt.
Skateboarding: what’s a misconception you can’t stand?
One thing I don’t approve of in this world is the word “poser” that a lot of skaters like to use but, after years of being part of this culture, I no longer feel that this word is important because it was born to create a sort of division, in the sense that if I tell you that you are a poser, I immediately exclude you. Instead, the skating world is completely the opposite. But the positive side is obviously everything else. Perhaps the union that exists, just friendships, it really creates… It binds you to people.
Do you believe in change? If so, what do you do?
I am a vegetarian and have been for almost 11 years. It’s a small gesture that I do, but if everyone really united, there would be change.
SARAH, 22, Model
Tell us who you are and what you do.
My name is Sarah, I am 22 years old, I study fashion and I am a model. I am half Nigerian and half Italian.
Afro-Italianity seen by Afro-Italians. How would you describe it?
It seems strange to me to use the word “Afro-Italian” because it is not a word I used growing up but I noticed that this generation is much more inclined towards change. We do not have a strong identity as Afro-descendants like in other countries but we are working on it, slowly, I think things are changing. But we are not represented, we are not valued enough.
How can we change that?
Expressing oneself, communicating is very important, in fact, there are several groups where Afro-Italian descendants come together to talk about their experiences, work, to also give a sense of hope to young people who would like to do a certain job and do not see someone like them doing that job. It is very useful to talk about it, discuss it, to have a debate.
I think that racism, especially systematic racism, is like a ghost that only me and some people can see. But black people aren’t just experts in racism, we also have other abilities.
Why did you choose this location for the project?
Barona for me is a place of tranquillity, peace, reflection, meditation, my home and, contrary to what people might think, it’s a tranquil place.
