By Salvo Sportato
Modena, Italy–His nickname is Alle Tattoo, but you can call him Alle. In any case, Alessandro Bonaccorsi, born in Modena, doesn’t need an introduction. To be frank, he is one of the world’s most celebrated tattoo artists. I am not making this up, I promise!
His achievements include a number of Guinness World Records, Ink Awards, United Ink Flight, United Ink Tattoo, an Ambasciator Award, and- last but not least- a literary award at Salone del Libro di Torino. We could go on, but we’d better stop. Alle loves talking about his awards, especially his favourite, one he received from the people of his hometown, Limidi, which is a few kilometres from Modena, where he lives and works. For Alle, this is the only place where he can completely invest his energy towards work.
Alle has travelled all around the world, and he’s lived in many places: Baltimore, New York, Singapore, London, New Delhi, places where his inspiration and his works are enriched alike. Like a fashion designer, Alle embellishes his customers’ bodies, with a technique that is truly handmade and unique. While talking to Alle, we discovered that the world of fashion has recently met and intertwined with the tattoo world because of the increasing promotion of the handmade and bespoke. Emerging brands have been especially open to the “tattoo trend,” and some of the big brands have started to welcome it.
Alle’s experience with O.X.S, an urban shoe manufacturer, is emblematic: he has tattooed a number of models in an attempt to adapt the concept of tattoos as unique pieces of art to an accessible fashion product. His latest collaboration with O.X.S., will be on display at Pitti Uomo in January of next year. For the event, Alle will tattoo the brand’s iconic Frank work boot. Inspired by the words of writer/filmaker/tattoo aficionado Vince Hemingson (“Designing a tattoo is a journey, not a destination”), Alle’s latest O.X.S. collaboration will reflect this wanderer spririt.
Back in his studio in Modena, Alle’s team consists of Luca, a designer, and Daniele, a painter. Together they bring their diverse experience to the tattoo world and to their customers. This is the most recent evolution of “ink art.” Tattoo designers’ qualities have significantly grown through dialogue and fusion of art in a mutual inspirational exchange. Alle’s main styles are traditional, Indi, and Geometric, the areas where he moves and guides his customers on a path evolves according to the ideas he is asked to develop.
Speaking of evolution, Alle gives us an example of what he means. He reminisces back to ’80 and ’90 when, in places like London, Camden markets, people could develop their own styles with little money and great taste and creativity, simply by wandering around and discovering a few peculiar pieces to adapt to their own personality, their own style. Alle’s opinion is that this has unfortunately changed too much; the big fashion capitals are mainly redundant showcases where one can hardly find truly creative ideas. So, where SHOULD we go to find some of such true inspiration? Emerging fashion frontiers like Berlin and Singapore are Alle’s pick. And we trust him!
