Barbara Bologna's w40tribu: A Performative Fashion Project Born in Quarantine

Barbara Bologna, a multifaceted Italian designer, artist, and performer, launched w40tribu during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The project began as a remote editorial for her collection 'Tribù', created in collaboration with photographer Gaia Benedetti Perinetti Casoni. With models, stylist, and director each in their own homes, connected via webcam, the shoot bypassed traditional seasonal fashion cycles. Bologna and Andrea Ternelli, the other half of the brand, described w40tribu as an extended experience where reception and participation blur, prioritizing performative practice over commercial intent. The project drew inspiration from the theatrical concept of 'eterodirezione' (remote direction) used by the Fanny & Alexander company, adapting it to guide models' bodies and actions within confinement. The resulting images were published on an open-source website inviting new contributions. Bologna emphasized that the 'tribe' concept is about coexistence without prejudice, while Ternelli called it a form of 'elevated anarchism' where reciprocity builds a collective future. The 'Witches quarantine tribu'—guardians, sibyls, and moirai—embody this movement. The project reflects Bologna's long-standing fusion of fashion with performance, body art, and theater, dating back to her 2013 Paris show 'Inferno' and later collaborations with performance duo Suka Off and musician Marie and the Sun.