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When Adam Appugliesi launched his menswear brand Libero in 2018 with his late cofounder Kadeem Johnson, the duo made a point to not just be another brand offering hoodies and T-shirts.
"We try to always tell a story and use Libero as a vessel of articulating what we want a Libero man or Libero woman to be," Appugliesi said. "We use the brand, the garments and the campaigns as the vessel to tell that story and create this person through the brand."
Libero's design aesthetic is inspired by Appugliesi's own upbringing. Born and raised in an Italian family in Toronto -- where Libero is based -- the designer moved to Italy at the age of 18 to pursue semi-professional soccer. After a few years, Appugliesi moved back to Toronto and worked at Holt Renfrew where he met his cofounder and decided to launch Libero.
Appugliesi leveraged his Italian background and upbringing in Toronto for the brand, utilizing elements of streetwear, workwear and classic Italian suiting to create a brand that he describes as fusing North American and European cultures.
"I grew up as a big menswear guy," he said. "I grew up big into with Nikes and Jordans and stuff like that, but then the older that I got and moving to Italy, that sped up my process of loving menswear, so the aesthetic and look of the brand, I would place it in that menswear category, but more of like the modern man."
Appugliesi is equally inspired by film and TV, looking to '50s and '60s black-and-white films and movie icons like Steve McQueen and Paul Newman as reference points.
The brand offers an eclectic assortment that reflects Appugliesi's inspiration. He stated the brand is best known for its shirting and outerwear, naming Libero's bomber jacket as one of the key styles. The jacket has been worn by several celebrities, including NBA player Steph Curry in the recent Peacock series "Mr. Throwback."
"[Films] are the number-one reference," Appugliesi said. "Just seeing these characters being so effortlessly cool -- your gangster movies, your spy movies, 'Ocean's Eleven,' Brad Pitt, guys like that. I always think about style or fashion is who you are. You can try and learn it and pick it up as you go for sure, but sometimes it's just effortless, so we've tried to take from these effortless guys."
As the brand is based in Toronto, Appugliesi said it's been challenging to establish the brand outside of major U.S. fashion cities like New York or Los Angeles, but has relied on Libero's campaigns and messaging to cut through the market.
He's enlisted his father for many of Libero's campaigns, where he's seen modeling the workwear-inspired clothing at his construction job.
Libero mostly operates direct-to-consumer, but works with two stockists in the U.S.: menswear store Cueva in New York City and Canoe Club in Boulder, Colo. This fall, the brand is embarking on its first retail partnership in Toronto.
Appugliesi thinks the brand has been able to make an impact in the North America menswear market thanks to its approachable design aesthetic and interesting campaigns.
"It just resonates for [customers] because it's palatable," he said. "It's not big brain fashion stuff. It's not avant garde, not that there's anything wrong with that, but we think we're just attacking the market with relatable pieces, relatable campaigns and things that are interesting that people want to be a part of."