DANCASSAB
VOICES
ANNACARLA
DALL’AVO
Joining our Voices at Dan Cassab, is an extraordinary woman who is known for her glamorous style and travel journeys. Her fashion and art background have made Annacarla a passionate influencer and trendsetter.
She has also had an important spiritual journey that has marked her path and has opened up in the following article with some inspiring stories.
DC: TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND – WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND HOW DID YOUR INTERESTS AND JOURNEY TAKE YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
AD: I was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, in 1989. Because of my work, I now live in Milano, but I’m still very close to my hometown. I always come back when I have time to spare! I’m the oldest of four children. My family is the most beautiful thing in my life, and every day I feel grateful for all the love I receive from them and that I give to them. My partner is the best person I could’ve asked for, and I’m crazy in love with him. He makes me happy and proud of who I am. Feeling surrounded by the most beautiful people —and by love— is what makes me happy and what gives me the strength and passion to be who I am, to be where I am now, and to work hard to reach my objectives, facing sad moments and difficulties of life.
My family allows me to be free in all aspects of my life. I always say that my mum represents the sky for me, the possibility of being a dreamer, to dream impossible things, day after day, and make them happen. Instead, my father is completely different: he represents the land, the capacity to always be concrete, and to stay with my foot anchored to the ground despite being a dreamer. Regarding my background, I’ve always been passionate about fashion, since I was a child! I grew up surrounded by a great sense of aesthetics and beauty. My mum is a jewelry and home decor designer. This allowed me to develop my passion for art, fashion and also design.My father owns a quite big goldsmith jewelry company that produces gold and silver jewels for big worldwide luxury brands. His company, based in Arezzo, is called TREEMME and it was founded in 1982. When I was a child, I used to go there all the time. I was fascinated by all the goldsmith processes. My father often made me work on some pieces, which allowed me to develop good manual skills. Still to this day, I love to imagine and design some jewels, and then create them for myself. After high school, I graduated in Fashion —marketing and communication— at Polimoda, in Florence, and, at the same time, I got a degree in Art History at the University of Literature and Philosophy, also in Florence. After this, I did a master’s in Art at the Sorbonne, in Paris, where I lived for a year. This permitted me to learn French!
What I like the most —in fashion or jewelry or accessories, whatever— is discovering new brands from all over the world and finding vintage pieces everywhere. I also enjoy buying handcrafted items during my trips. I always explore markets or hidden places looking for art pieces.
Now I make a living as an influencer, fashion consultant, and content creator. I worked for my company for 3 years, until the end of 2019, when I decided to leave the family business to follow my dream and build my personal career in the fashion industry.
I miss working at my company and many times I think it’s time to create my own jewelry brand, and probably I’ll do it soon!
DC: IS THERE A SPECIFIC MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE YOU CAN RECALL THAT REALLY SHAPED OR GROUNDED YOU?
AD: There have been many moments in my life that shaped and grounded me, but I want to speak about two that I consider extremely important.
The first one is my experience working as a personal assistant for a famous woman from Lebanon, who, in 2016, created her own jewelry brand, HRH Jewels.
This episode of my life was important because I was very young —22 years old— and it was my first job. It made me learn a lot and I thank her, more than anything, for all the trust she placed in me. She’s an amazing woman. So important but, at the same time, so kind and humble.
The second exciting experience I want to recall here is the one I lived in the UK in 2016, 2017.
I was in London to attend a couple of fashion and jewelry short courses —at GIA London and Condé Nast Fashion School— and I decided to start working as a sales assistant for a big department store. For six months, I worked at Selfridges. Then I moved to Harrods and worked for Alberta Ferretti as a sales and marketing assistant for the Italian team.
This experience challenged me a lot and it allowed me to directly understand clients, their needs and their way to purchase.
DC: WHICH SPIRITUAL COACHES, WRITERS OR SPEAKERS HAVE GIVEN YOU TOOLS TO TRANSFORM SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE?
AD: I’ve always been passionate about philosophy and when I was younger, I used to read many books! Among my favorite philosophers are Socrates, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Kant.
Speaking about coaches directly connected with my work —and with fashion, in general— I’d like to mention the Italian entrepreneur Chiara Ferragni. She’s an amazing woman! She’s ambitious and determined. A dreamer who never stops fighting for her dreams, achieving great success.
Chiara invented the role of “influencer” and now she’s one of the most important digital entrepreneurs in the world. As if that were not enough, she found time and love to create her beautiful family, have two children and dedicate her time to all of this.
I admire her as a businesswoman, as a mother, as a friend, and as a wife because she always keeps her innate sense of compassion and kindness despite her accomplishments.
DC: WHAT ARE THE BEST PLACES YOU HAVE TRAVELLED TO AND WHY?
AD: Sometimes I say to myself: “Why not be a travel blogger?”, or even better: “Why not be a tour operator and open my own travel agency?”.
I really love to travel. Not only to visit new countries and discover new cultures but because I love to organize my adventures and, to be honest, I’m really good at it! I’m a very enthusiastic and positive person, and I think traveling is the biggest gift we can make to ourselves. Let me note 3 places I’ve visited recently.
Mexico. I love this country and its people! They’re sunny, super kind, and always ready to help you. Mexicans made me feel at home in a period of my life I felt completely lonely.
I arrived in Tulum with my best friend for the new year of 2021 for a vacation and, in the end, I stayed more than 3 months, coming back twice the next year. At that time, I’d been practicing yoga in Italy for 6 years and in Mexico, I continued practicing and I really went deeper into it, discovering new parts of myself and better reconnecting with my body and with nature.
There I also understood the importance of being anonymous, of being loved and appreciated by others not because of my style or for being fashionable, but because of my soul, my spirit and my values. It was very important for my growth.
Hawaii, April 2022. This place was —and still is— significant to me because it represented my capacity to be alone in the world, even far away from all my safe places and securities. I was working at Coachella in Palm Springs and, after this adventure, I decided to take a plane and go to this state. It was a long time since I’d visited Hawaii and I did it all by myself!
Colombia, Summer 2022. One of the best in my life! Me, my boyfriend, my sister, and her boyfriend too. We went to Colombia for a really adventurous trip: 20 days, a backpack for each one of us, and no looks at all, hahaha! I felt so free! Many cities and places to visit with the most important and funny people in my life.
We went to Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Cartagena, San Andres, Providencia, to the Islas del Rosario and Punta Baru. Everything was amazing!
ON AREZZO
Best Restaurants:
Il Cantuccio, Agania, La buca di San Francesco, Le Chiavi d’oro. I love Tuscany’s food. It’s my favorite in the world! You should definitely try it. The local cuisine with fresh products from the nearby Valdichiana and Casentino Valley has a following of its own.
Coolest Concept Store:
SUGAR store (www.sugar.it) is the coolest luxury concept store, not only in Arezzo but in Italy. SUGAR boasts an exclusive selection from the best designers of clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories —both for men and for women.
The store is owned by Beppe Angiolini, an important figure in the fashion system. He made my hometown, Arezzo, world famous thanks to the great job he did. Also, he helped me develop my style and my excitement for fashion. He’s very passionate about art. I have known him since I was a little girl going to his shop with my mum, impressed by all the beauty and innovation I saw around me.
Your favorite go-to reading spot:
My country house, where I grew up. It’s located at a 15-minute drive from the Arezzo historical center, where I live now.
My grandmother’s home, at the historical center, where you have an amazing view of Arezzo from the top. Il Prato, a public garden close to the Duomo of Arezzo. And, last but not least, the Anfiteatro Romano.
Favorite museum:
Arezzo has a lot of museums because my city is very important from a historical and artistic point of view. It’s a place for art lovers. Its amazing Medieval Square is one of the city’s main attractions, used in the Oscar-winning film “La Vita è Bella” by Roberto Benigni.
While visiting Arezzo you can’t miss the stunning “Affreschi di Piero della Francesca” in the Church of San Francesco, and you have to see the main square Piazza Grande with the elegant loggia designed by Vasari —yes, the same Vasari who planned the Uffizi in Florence.
On the first weekend of every month, Piazza Grande becomes the grand setting for the most popular Antiques Fair in Tuscany.
Loretta
Rimon
