For this edition of Fashion Forward with SSB, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tony Trov and Johnny Zito, owners of South Fellini, in South Philadelphia. Being born and raised in South Philadelphia, I love representing my city. Like most people, I usually do this by wearing a sports themed t-shirt or hat. While I happily support Philadelphia sports teams with my merch, I often find myself searching for something different to wear. Something that says I’m from Philadelphia, but in a modern and fun way. This is where South Fellini comes in. Their concept of one of a kind items designed for the city of brotherly love is nothing short of brilliant. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Tony Trov and Johnny Zito.
Not only am I a longtime friend of the guys, and customer of South Fellini, I own almost every single t-shirt design they’ve created - Hi, I’m Lindsay, and I am addicted to t-shirts. The SSB team has personally known Trov and Zito for what feels like forever, so, it was fun to catch up and see what they’ve been up to. Not only with running their business, but also expanding their brand, selling one of a kind masks and creating their own podcast.
Below is our Q&A session. Enjoy!
Q: What is your name and what is the name of your business?
A: Tony Trov (TT) and Johnny Zito (JZ). South Fellini is the business.
Q: What made you decide to open your own store? What do you sell?
A: TT - We design and sell apparel for the Philadelphia lifestyle.
JZ - South Fellini brand has been a creative outlet for us.
Q: What is the most popular item you sell?
A: TT - Right now our racing shorts are our best seller.
Q: Is your clientele mainly Philadelphia residents? Do you have many tourists?
A: JZ - At our physical location, we have mostly locals.
TT - I think the people who buy from our website are former Philadelphians. We've shipped to all 50 states.
Q: What is your creative process of coming up with your own original designs? How long does it typically take?
A: TT - The city is constantly inspiring.
JZ - Sometimes we will sit on an idea for months but sometimes we can turn something out pretty quickly.
Q: Out of all of the items you sell, what do you think is a passing trend? What do you think will never go out of style? Why?
A: TT - I'm looking forward to not wearing a mask someday.
JZ - We have a winter hat that sells all year round. No One Likes Us We Don't Care pom pom hat is a classic.
Q: The question that I know a lot of people probably ask, but we just had to - What made you pull the mannequin in?
A: TT - I saw Emmy the Mannequin in a prop house years ago. I always wanted to find a reason to dig her up.
Q: I know COVID hit small businesses hard. How are you guys holding up? How can people who want to support you, purchase your items, while keeping social distance?
A: TT- Order from our website southfellini.com
JZ - And be sure to check out our podcast Legends of Philadelphia. It's available on all podcast platforms. It comes out every Monday and we cover a lot of Philadelphia history. Especially topics that don’t usually get covered.
Q: Would you ever expand your merchandise and create items for other cities?
A: TT - South Fellini Tokyo someday.
JZ - Or Cape May
Q: Will you or do you sell masks with your creations on them?
A: JZ - We teamed up with @thesewcialcafe to make three styles of mask (limited
edition retro prints on light weight cotton), and the proceeds are going towards @sewfacemasks www.sewfacemasksphilly.com
Q: What business advice would you give SSB and other small businesses who are continuing to grow?
A: TT - Hold onto your butts.
Again, thank you Trov and Zito for allowing SS Boutique to interview you. It was awesome catching up, and I know I will definitely be making more purchases in the future.
If you would like to shop with South Fellini, their info is below. While you can’t currently shop their storefront due to COVID-19, you can shop on their website www.southfellini.com or check out their IG @southfellini. Both are constantly being updated with their newest merchandise. Also, be sure to check out their podcast Legends of Philadelphia. It's available on all podcast platforms, and I can tell you, it’s amazing. Just go listen and thank me later.
South Fellini
1507 E. Passyunk Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-751-3667
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more fun blog entries in our Fashion Forward with SSB series.
-Lindsay, SS Boutique Business Management and Blogger
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