Family Story
photography by: Francesca Sorrenti archive images by: Davide Sorrenti styling by: Matt Holmes
My name is Francesca Sorrenti an dI amafirst- generati on A meri can.Mymomwas from Naples. My story started in the Fall of 1969 when I met the father of my children. By the Christmas of 1970 we were married and in the summer of1971 we flew
off to live in Naples. My first child, Mario, was born the following October, then
came Vanina, in 1973, and Davide, in 1976. Unfortunately, Davide was born with a genetic disorder called Thalassemia. I felt that the best way to give Davide a better
life was to move to New York, which we did in 1982. It was very difficult for us, in the beginning. My children didnot know a word of English and I could not find a job
in New York because of Davide’s illness, even though I had had an extensive career working with Fiorucci and managing my own accessories and clothing company in Naples. W ith time, however, they all integrated amazingly. Mario and Davide loved
biking and skateboarding and doing all the things New York kids did at the time. I
became a stylist and eventually got into advertising. At the age of 40 I decided to pick up the camera. By then I was very well known within the ’80s fashion community. All three of my children were child models and also well integrated into the fashion scene. One day, in 1990, Mario said to me: “Mom, pick up a camera. You’re always
telling everybody what to do.” T hat is what I did and I loved it. Basically, Mario and I started our photography careers together. In the meantime, Davide was heavily
influenced by what was going on around him. He loved art and photography and, in spite of his homeboy attitude, he always surprised people with the wide variety of
his interests. Vanina’s career as a photographer started after Davide’s passing. She
felt she could express herself through the lens of a camera. My partner Steve was a photographerbefore all of us and he is the one who put us on the right track, showing us the ins and outs of the infamouscamera. At one point we were all involved – and we
are still part of the photography and fashion community. Meanwhile, Davide was shooting his friends and capturing the attention of several creative directors within the editorial community. Before we all knew it, he was shooting campaigns and working for magazines such as Interview and i-D, along with many others in Europe.
There is a documentary on Davide’s life, “See Know Evil”, and two amazing photography books published by Idea Books. It’s stunning how his legacy lives on through his generation and today’s youth culture. Davide passed at the age of 20, his career having lasted only two years, and it still amazes me how talented he was.