Filly Cusenza: thread, imagination, and femininity without clichés
In the universe of Filly Cusenza, nothing is conventional. Artist, designer, and visionary mind behind the Filly Biz brand, she has transformed art into a wearable form of expression, never giving up on irony, commitment, or her roots. Her creations, whether striking installations or bespoke garments, tell intimate and universal stories, woven with themes of motherhood, femininity, broken dreams, and the desire for redemption. In Bagheria, at the Guttuso Museum, her works engage with space and collective memory: from the moving ‘La mia casa è il Mediterraneo’, which denounces the human tragedy of migration, to the giant black bra of ‘Tutta colpa dello zucchero’, seemingly detached from a master painting and brought to life on its own. Her art speaks lightly of heavy issues, and poetically of shared experiences. In 2016, she founded a brand that is also a family: together with her two daughters, Noemi and Federica, she created an atelier that blends art, fashion, and storytelling, with a strong focus on sustainability and the uniqueness of every woman. Because a work of art doesn’t need to remain confined to a museum: it can walk down the street, work in an office, and move those who encounter it by chance. Deeply rooted in Sicily -“because if everyone leaves, what will be left?” – Filly creates surrounded by the scent of lemons and the sparkle of the sea, bringing to the world a vision of Made in Italy that is authentic, visionary, and deeply human. Sicilian Secrets interviewed her.
Q: ‘La mia casa è il Mediterraneo’ is on display at the Guttuso Museum in Bagheria. What’s the meaning behind this installation, whose title already feels so timely?
A: For far too many years, we’ve seen boats full of people braving the sea in search of a better future. The news has numbed us to those images, and that’s not right. On the contrary, this issue must always be given attention because it remains as urgent as ever. Artists can send a message through their work: I’m a mother, and when I see those women, I think of their children and their journey, and of those who didn’t make it. Their home became the Mediterranean. The sea holds the shattered dreams of children who will never see land again.
‘La mia casa è il Mediterraneo’ is a textile installation showing the bodies of pregnant women, fetuses, and many children. It’s a powerful work, and even more than that, it’s reality.
Q: Also at Villa Cattolica there is ‘Tutta colpa dello zucchero’, a huge bra hanging on a wall. What inspired you to create this piece, and what message does it convey?
A: When I was invited to create a piece for the main floor of the Guttuso Museum, they showed me the space, and I was struck by Renato Guttuso’s 1967 work ‘Donne stanze paesaggi oggetti’, where you see several women undressing. It’s on the wall opposite mine, and I immediately imagined this giant bra as if it had flown out of the painting and landed on the other side! I love large-scale things, and since I had seven meters of space, I used them. It makes quite an impact and gets photographed a lot because it’s so unexpected.
Q: In 2016, you launched the Filly Biz brand, transforming Filly Cusenza’s art into wearable fashion. How would you describe the evolution from creating artworks to making garments and accessories?
A: Ever since I was little, I’ve been doing this kind of thing, like making doll clothes, encouraged by my mother and grandmother, who were seamstresses by trade. As I grew up, I kept doing it, but only for myself. After studying architecture and then attending the Academy of Fine Arts, and talking it through with my daughters, who are also passionate about fashion, we wondered: why should art be confined to galleries and museums? And since my brush was a needle, why not let people wear art? That way, it’s free to go anywhere, around the city, into the workplace, and beyond.
Q: Every Filly Biz piece is hand-decorated and made to order. What is your creative process for personalizing each garment?
A: Most of the time, the decoration begins with a conversation with the client, discussing their needs and how they want to express themselves. We do our best to ensure the garment is truly THEIRS. We aim to tell their story.
We don’t use machines other than a sewing machine, and honestly, sometimes I don’t even sketch, I just cut straight into the fabric. We’re very committed to sustainability. After all, if you buy a piece made just for you, you’ll keep it, unlike a cheap item. If you have something precious, tailored to you, made with refined fabrics like silk and cotton, you won’t throw it away. We waste nothing, even our embellishments come from fabric scraps. Waste is never really waste.
Q: You brought your daughters into the Filly Biz project, creating an all-female team still guided by your personal vision. What’s it like working with family, and how does this collaboration influence your creations?
A: I have two daughters, Noemi and Federica, who I’ve always brought along to exhibitions, trips, and setups. We all share a love for art and fashion, they were raised in that environment. Noemi is a journalist and Federica is a fashion designer, pretty much the perfect combo, each with her own role. Federica handles patternmaking and design, I take care of the creative side, and Noemi handles communications.
We talk a lot, every project is carefully thought out.
Sometimes we disagree, but we always reach our destination—which, in the end, is what’s best for the client. We’re very self-critical, precise, and meticulous… sometimes even excessively so! But we have fun and we do this job with joy. Every client almost becomes like a sister, you really connect with their soul, especially with brides, when you share months and months together. Creating a wedding dress is an incredible experience, especially when it really means something to the woman. We don’t do ‘the usual dresses, those who come to us want something full of personality.
Q: How does Sicily – with its colors, contrasts, and culture – influence your creative vision and the style of Filly Cusenza?
A: Many people ask, “Why don’t you work in Milan?”. And we answer, “If everyone leaves, what will be left?”. Online platforms help us tremendously, we can reach the world through the internet. But we want to stay in a place we love: we see the sea, we smell the lemons, we eat well, the people are warm. Why leave? We travel for trade shows, events, and fashion weeks but we need to enjoy the wonder that is our homeland.
Q: Is there a special place in Sicily, real or symbolic, that continues to inspire your artistic journey?
A: My Sicilian grandmother’s arms: for me, that is a place, then, now, and always. That’s where I felt safe, and I think of her when I work. She taught me so much, she was a seamstress for the theatre.
Q: What themes inspire you most, and how do you choose the stories that become a creation by Filly Cusenza?
A: Women are my main focus. Even my installation ‘Spazio Oltre’ at the Guttuso Museum is conceived as a home, with the spaces of life. I talk about motherhood and how important it is. I never wanted to give up being a mother for the sake of my career. I have three children, I earned two degrees, I’m an artist and a professional. My children are my joy and my strength. I urge women not to give up, to push through obstacles and fear. Children can be involved from an early age, we must teach them to appreciate beauty and art. Take them to exhibitions, to museums, fight to give them positive messages.
Q: And finally, looking to the future, what projects or artistic directions would you like to explore with Filly Biz?
A: One of our greatest ambitions is to keep taking on new challenges together, as a family. Our goal is to share Italian-made fashion abroad, our designs and our way of seeing things. As Italians, we’re special: art, architecture, landscapes, they’re in our DNA, and we know how to express that through our everyday actions. Being able to create stunning garments for women who don’t yet know our world: that’s the continuation of our dream.
