In these last days only one thought buzzed in my head... Don Bosco. His figure has been so important in my life and in the life of the friends around me. Don Bosco was an example, a guide, a friend, a teacher.
I tell the story of Ape Social Wear and the teachings, light and goodness that Don Bosco brought into my life, in this interview for JOY Free Press.
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Alessandro Ferrari: good begets good, Don Bosco would have loved ApE social wear!
When Alessandro Ferrari approached the oratory of Sesto San Giovanni for the first time in the early 2000s, he did so by chance.
He was drawn by the desire to play volleyball, but he had no intention of entering a world that he had always looked at with skepticism. There, however, he met the figure of Saint John Bosco .
He discovered a different way of telling and interpreting Christianity. Without knowing it, Alessandro Ferrari was giving birth to Ape Social Wear.
The project, born a few years ago, has now taken flight, making Alessandro Ferrari the natural prophet of the message of the Turin saint. Married, with two children, Alessandro has become an entrepreneur who proposes, with his Ape Social Wear, to make people dress well. In every way that can be understood: in the sense of elegance, but also in that of a positivity to wear. Without making it just a moral display, of course.
Who is Don Bosco?
He is much more than a person: he is a true lifestyle. For me, he represents the figure of a teacher, a father, a friend (as a song dedicated to him says, ed.). I discovered him when I entered the oratory: I was told that to fully understand his spirit, I would have to know his figure. From that moment I began to try to get closer to his style, which immediately captured me.
How could we define that lifestyle?
A way of interpreting life with joy, being with the kids, playing with them and finding the opportunity to talk about serious things while doing all this.
The Salesian spirit is also made of a lot of music to communicate. What role does music have for Ape Social Wear?
It is very important in this project: many songs accompany us daily and with which we collaborate. I think of Gen Rosso , with Love conquers all ; i The Sun with A good reason to live . And still the Real with Light .
These are the most representative songs but I could mention many others: their music is very close to young people and always conveys a positive message.
They inspire our brand, as can be seen from the song titles themselves. In this sense I cannot forget also Angelo Maugeri , author of I can do anything and the Sermig Sound Laboratory, with Love endures.
How do you perceive the presence of Don Bosco in the Ape Social Wear journey?
Every time you are in the courtyard, in the oratory with the boys, his figure is immediately palpable. In the daily life of Bee I see it in the beauty of meeting people who come from the Salesian path and are amazed by the existence of a shirt with one of his phrases. It is fabulous to see the enthusiasm in wanting to "wear Don Bosco" through a product that thus becomes a glue with him.
What is it that captures you most about Don Bosco?
I think it is his closeness to everyone. Don Bosco was close even and especially to the last. And his message never goes out of style! We made a T-shirt that says: Charity knows no diversity of race, distance, place. A phrase like that should still be heard on all the news. It would be nice to always have a Don Bosco in front of you, someone who accepts you for who you are in that precise moment.
How relevant is the message of St. John Bosco?
It's incredible how a message launched two centuries ago is so current. Especially after the Covid period.
Our oratories are in crisis, they have an educational emergency. Messages like that of Don Bosco are current in oratories as in schools, in the work to raise honest and good citizens.
Even at work?
Yes, in everything that requires a relationship with others. At work you can breathe Salesian joy even through a t-shirt and with a smiling and available attitude towards the world.
Giovanni Bosco's most famous student, Saint Dominic Savio, emphasized the importance of being able to distinguish oneself with one's own qualities, even the smallest ones destined to become great. This seems to be the philosophy of Ape Social Wear.
Exactly. He expressed his amazement at a boy who knew how to whistle. You have to take what you know how to do and start from there. The boys who are part of Ape Social Wear know that everything is based on the concept of giving back: if you are good in one field, give your talent back to others. I'm sure that Don Bosco is really enjoying this project!
We thank Juditta D'Arienzo for making us relive the birth of Ape Social Wear and the values that accompany our work every day.
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