Triggered by one of his high-school teachers as a teenager, Guido L Z discovered that he truly enjoyed writing and – more importantly – that he was rather good at it. Even when life took him in the opposite direction, the passion for the written word never left him. And as it goes, eventually he decided to pursue that passion. When we were working on our Atlas campaign in Morocco, we knew the person with the right words and the right tone of voice could be found close by, in Brussels.
GATEWAY TO THE DESERT
I never travelled much, except from trips to Italy, before heading to Marrakech. It felt a little strange, rather peculiar because it’s a different world out there. Human interaction seems so much simpler there, with less codes and complexities.
What really stood out for me was crossing the desert from Marrakech to Essaouira, an experience that really left its mark on me. I saw breathtaking landscapes, often in total silence, a vast emptiness. All of which contrasts heavily with the seething business on the road, where cars, motorcycles, animals and humans all come together in a large anarchist ballet, but somehow it seems organized to all those involved.
When Bellerose approached me to write a text for a short film shot in Morocco, I immediately plunged back into all of the memories that had stuck with me. The color palette, the people I met there, the emotions I felt… It’s all still very much intact, despite the passing of several years.
FROM FINANCE TO WRITING
With my economics degree in my pocket, I obviously started off my career in that world. First in a publicity firm and later on in an insurance company, where I was very unhappy internally but at the same time happy to be part of what we call our modern society.
I couldn’t keep going that way so after a few years I left it all behind to redirect myself, to pursue a passion that had always been inside of me since my school days: writing. My father thought I’d completely lost my mind, until the day that he saw the enormous pile of paper on my desk, full of
words I’d been writing. He looked at it and knew I wasn’t kidding around.
Everything else is discipline, transcendence and overflowing creativity.
A few writers in particular inspire me. Not that I aim to do what they do, quite the contrary. It’s their style and their subject matter that appeals to me, as they all write about musicology. Alessandro Baricco (Italian writer and director – ed.) is one of them, as well as Yann Apperry (French novelist and screenwriter – ed.) and Philippe Le Guillou (French novelist and essayist – ed.)
MARTIGNACCO
Every time I go back to Italy – the country where both of my parents are from – it feels like coming home to me. As if Brussels is merely a transit zone. My 5 star location is Martignacco, which is about a 100 kilometers from Venice. It’s a true breath of fresh air, where days pass peacefully while you do nothing in particular. Basically, just reconstructing oneself.
I won’t even get started on Italian gastronomy; a subject that has often been discussed by people far more knowledgeable than myself. But I agree with all of them (laughs).
WELL DRESSED, NOT STRESSED
Throughout the course of my life I’ve been exposed to different influences. Everything from the conformity and uniformity of Catholic high school to 90s streetwear. What I love more than anything else are comfortable fabrics. To me, every day is a little different in that regard, depending on how I feel and the context in which I will be functioning, so I’m not a man with one specific style.
What I like about Bellerose is that it allows me to mix different styles without looking like a weird creature designed for a photoshoot. I enjoy how the brand incorporates different influences and how every store is a little market place with different sneaker brands and jeans and accessories that allow me to complete my outfits.
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS
« Entre le Turquoise et le Parme » - Acrodacrolivres
« Le Déséquilibre Naturel » - Edilivre
Pictures by Thibault de Schepper
Words by Bjorn Dossche
