Some people build careers. Others build worlds. Cori Amenta has done both. Designer, stylist, and DJ, her journey has never been about following a single path, but about staying true to her instincts. Whether she’s behind the DJ booth, designing a collection, restoring a Sicilian villa, or simply tending to her garden, everything she touches reflects the same unmistakable spirit: authenticity, curiosity, and a deep appreciation for beauty in all its forms. Fashion, music, art, and the beauty of everyday life have always been part of Cori Amenta’s world.
1. For those discovering your world through Artgasmic, who is Cori Amenta when the music stops, the styling is finished, and the spotlight fades?
Cori Amenta: Cori in her private life is a very simple person. I have a thousand interests: I draw, I sew the outfits I wear for my performances, I sew clothes for my beautiful little niece, I love taking care of the garden, I listen to music, and I happily spend afternoons in a bikini and flip-flops with my closest friends, whom I have known since I was a teenager.
At the moment, I’m in Sicily. I’m from Noto, so I spend a lot of time at my country house with my sisters, children, and nieces and nephews… a life surrounded by love.
2. You have chosen to express yourself through fashion, design, and music. What can one creative language say that the other two cannot express?
Cori Amenta: I feel very fortunate, because I have always managed to turn my greatest hobbies into my work. I believe that art, fashion, design and communication in general, are deeply connected, but while the former require a minimum of specific knowledge to be judged, music does not… it goes straight to the heart and makes you laugh, cry, dance, its language is universal and I love it very much for this, moreover the club is not just a place where people dance, but a place beyond place where social distances become shorter, and everyone has the right to be fabulous.
I don’t mean to say that I prefer music, I couldn’t live without drawing or sewing, but the authoritative and absolutely decisive role of the “nightclub”, especially for those of my generation, is fundamental and has shaped the lives of everyone who went to them.
3. You have spent years observing people, both by dressing them and by reading a dance floor. What have you learned about human nature that has surprised you?
I observe everyone, whether it’s the person sitting next to me on a plane, or the lady standing in line at the supermarket checkout, obviously I love reading and sensing the taste of those who dance to my music, as well as those who look at the images I create, or my vases… I have understood that our true beauty lies in our absolute differences and irrational uniqueness.
I once played for a very wealthy lady who was celebrating her 80th birthday in a beautiful villa on the slopes of Mount Etna, I had prepared a super chic and slightly nostalgic cocktail playlist, (think Metti, una sera a cena by Ennio Morricone, for example), after half an hour she explicitly asked me to play very heavy tech house, because she is one of my followers and comes to my nights at BOTOX MATINÈ in Milan, This is just one example, to say that no one should allow themselves to form an opinion about the person in front of them without truly getting to know them first.
P.S. She and her friends had an absolutely crazy time until 5 a.m.!
4. What was the first moment in your career, from Dolce & Gabbana to your own shoe brand and dressing Italian celebrities, when you realized you were no longer simply carrying out someone else’s vision?
In fashion, I have had several collaborations, some interesting, others more interesting to talk about than to actually experience.
When you work for a very famous brand, you are obviously at its service, and that naturally tends to overshadow you, because your talent lies in interpreting someone else’s, or two other people’s, ideas in the best possible way… however, they always gave me the freedom to mix and interpret the looks according to the person or the situation.
For my part, I have always added my own point of view, which is by no means a gentle one, making everything I touch a little bit my own. Obviously, my shoe collection and the Teste di Moro have much more of me in them, but they are collections bearing my name.
5. Looking back on your career, is there a project or collaboration that will always hold a special place in your heart? What made it so meaningful?
You may find me strange… but even though I am very emotionally attached to everything I have created in the past, once I have brought it into the world, in a way I let it go with great gratitude to the person who commissioned it, and I try to focus on a new project.
Dolce & Gabbana was certainly a movie-like experience. I was selected by Stefano Gabbana while I was dancing on the platforms at Plastic in Milan. He really liked the way I dressed. From there I met so many people, many of them truly fascinating and who have remained my friends, and others who were truly awful, who completely pushed me away immediately after I transitioned.
P.S. I survived anyway!
And to answer your question… MY SHOES! Forever in my heart, always.
6. Can style reveal who we are, or can it also become a way of discovering who we are becoming? When you are dressing someone, what are you really looking for beyond the clothes?
Style is like your beautiful eyes, you are either born with it, or there are no contact lenses that can even remotely imitate it. In any case, you can, in a way, train it like you would at the gym, and by imitating the right people you may even convince those who are watching you. The good thing is that it is constantly evolving, and, in the end, it is democratic. With enough commitment, each of us can have our own.
In my opinion, personality and your personal life journey are more important, because they give you charisma. The way you look at the world and self-awareness are essential qualities for a stylish person, and they have nothing to do with designer clothes or handbags, but with the way you smile, the way you move through life.
Styling by Cori Amenta
7. Many artists describe creativity as a way of processing emotions. Has your work ever helped you overcome a difficult period or changed the way you see yourself?
I completely agree with them. In my opinion, this is exactly what creativity is for, it helps us process and overcome obstacles in the most beautiful way in the world. My work has been fundamental in helping me get through the worst moments of my life, (from being completely isolated by everyone during the period after my transition, to the death of my mother), I am grateful to myself and to the commitment I put into everything I do, doing it to the best of my ability, to prove to myself and to anyone who wants to silence me, destroy me, or humiliate me because I am trans, that I am still on the right side.
8. Art therapy is being talked about more and more, but creativity often heals even outside a therapeutic setting. Have you ever seen fashion or music help someone reconnect with themselves or regain their confidence?
I think I should be asking you this question… because I am the one who has benefited from art and culture in general. I remember that during some very difficult moments, I would spend entire days inside the Pinacoteca di Brera, or after the fashion shows in Paris, during my free hours, I would go to the Louvre Museum and lose myself in front of the Winged Victory of Samothrace… I am certain that art will save the world.
Artgasmic: We couldn’t agree more. Art has a unique ability to heal, inspire, and help us make sense of ourselves and the world around us. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful and personal reflection.
9. What excites you most creatively at this stage of your life? Is there a project, or perhaps a dream collaboration, that you still feel is unfinished?
Let’s start with the fact that I am an enthusiast. Perhaps I simply love life itself and everything it allows us to do.
Right now, what excites me most is Villa Donna Malena in Noto, which I have taken care of down to the smallest detail and which I rent out for short stays. I love looking after it like it were a child, taking care of the pool’s pH, watering the jasmine, or browsing flea markets in search of an antique Sicilian lace curtain to use in one of the bedrooms. And next year, Villa Donna Anna may be born, right next to Malena but completely independent, united by a shared love for our roots and the unspoiled Sicilian countryside. (Imagine these two villas while listening to the Mediterranea remix by Giuni Russo, a great Italian artist who has been far too underrated.)
I love playing in clubs, and very soon I’ll be able to tell you something very exciting, but I can’t just yet… I’m superstitious (I’m from Southern Italy!).
Many thanks to Visual Consulting!
10. To end on a lighter note: if you had to describe yourself using only one outfit, one song, and one city, which would they be, and why?
And may lightness prevail!
Okaaaay.
A Schiaparelli couture outfit, uncomfortable, but absolutely unique and unforgettable (just like me, don’t you think?) hahaha.
My song is I’m What I Am by Gloria Gaynor (obviously the remix), because we all have the right to be ourselves, without having to explain ourselves to anyone.
My city is definitely on Uranus. It’s called Mirabilandia, a city with a mild climate, a bit like California, full of museums, clubs, and cinemas. There are no fast-food chains, and every child has a sandwich made by their grandmother in their school bag. There are schools of every kind, and no one tells you that one educational path is superior to another. There is no unemployment, and everyone is happy, colorful, different, cultured, and unique. Sooner or later, I’ll move there.
Artgasmic: Thank you, Cori, for welcoming us into your world. It was a joy to discover the person behind your work, someone who creates with passion, lives with enthusiasm, and never stops finding beauty in the smallest details. We have no doubt that this is exactly what people connect with, whether through your music, your fashion, or everything else you create. It was a pleasure having you in Artgasmic.
Donna Malena Noto by CoriAmenta
