You have probably seen Giovanni on Instagram, in campaigns, or in magazines. Born and raised in Turin, Italy, skateboarding first shaped both his worldview and his path into fashion. Immersed in street culture from a young age, he began modelling at sixteen after meeting photographers, videomakers, and local designers through the skate scene. A self-professed lifelong nerd, he studied physics with the same discipline he brought to skating, completing a master’s degree in theoretical physics focused on primordial black holes before earning a Ph.D. in cosmology at the Technical University of Munich.
Pull: Setchu
Tank: Vespa
Necklace: Vann
Despite a deep love for research and teaching, Giovanni ultimately realized that academic life was not where he belonged. In 2021, he left Munich for Barcelona, where revisiting old photoshoots reignited his connection to modelling. In 2023, the launch of his Instagram brought renewed visibility and opportunity. Returning to fashion after a decade away felt, to Giovanni, like a homecoming. Photographer Rebecca Dorothy captures Giovanni styled by Martina Bruna in this Fucking Young! exclusive, where she explores the idea of the man through the female gaze.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
“Happiness consists in being able to tell the truth without hurting anyone” (Fellini 8 1/2) . Being comfortable with the tension between the past and the future. Having your people by your side.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing my brother and snakes.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Sometimes I choose not to choose and let life choose for me.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
When privileged elites disguise themselves as political activists, effectively turning social battles into their fashionable role-playing games.
Which living person do you most admire?
I deeply admire everyone in my close circle of friends; I cannot think of any better people than my close friends.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I’m convinced that beauty is functional, structural, and operational.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Sincerity.
Pull: Diesel
Pants: Meyer
Bag: Moncler
Geta: SetchuWhat do you most dislike about your appearance?
My neck.
Which living person do you most despise?
Dominique Pelicot.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Incroyable”, in my defense I don’t know many alternative words in French but happy to accept suggestions.
You could try “époustouflant”! Moving on, when and where were you happiest?
Egypt – 2019: during a car ride in the middle of the night, the air was warm and blasted through the car window, I had beside me the person I thought would be with me forever (not quite but close, she’s still pretty much around).
Pull: Auralee
Pants: MeyerWhich talent would you most like to have?
Musical creativity.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’m starting to see how much easier it is to answer questions on the negative side. So here’s not one but two: I’d like to silence the jury of a thousand men in my head. I’d love to be better at showing my will to stay in other people’s lives.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Breaking away from my main path and allowing myself to challenge what was expected from me.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A cat in Tunis or a seagull in Marseille.
Where would you most like to live?
In Marseille.
Earrings: Alan Crocetti
What is your most treasured possession?
My ring.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Cleopatra. A rather instinctive answer, it’s probably because she is representative of a mixture of beauty and decadence, strength and vulnerability that resonates.
Who are your heroes in real life?
There are no heroes.
What is your greatest regret?
My academic career was pretty painful, but it got me to my current life, which makes me very, very happy. I tend to invest myself pretty much to the fullest into my life choices, so I cannot really say that I have big regrets. Maybe not investing in Bitcoin in 2009.
Pull: Auralee
Pants: Meyer
Total look: Mehdid
Shirt: Casablanca
Short: Setchu
Geta: Setchu
Look: Louis Gabriel Nouchi
Necklace: Alan Crocetti
Top: Gardouch
Short: Setchu
Belt: Giovanni’s
Top: Brunello Cucinelli
Pants: Officine Générale
Necklace: Vann
Total look: Moncler x Rick Owens
Total look: Emporio Armani
Pull: Yoke
Cardigan: Yoke
Pants: Officine General
Shirt: CP Company
Shirt: Recto
Coat: Yoke
Jeans: David Koma
Earrings: Alan Crocetti
Jacket: beautiful people
Pants: Mehdid
Total look: Alpinestars Reserve
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