The James Bond effect – making icons of every garment and accessory 007 wears – can do wonders for a brand. Imagine what that could do to an independent designer such as Mr Massimo Alba and his team. This April, as the world readied for the premiere of No Time To Die, in which Mr Daniel Craig sports a light, dusty corduroy suit of Mr Alba’s design, we were all about to see. And then the world stopped, with Mr Alba’s own hometown and business HQ of Milan taking a particularly brutal brunt of the early wave of Covid-19.

At his home and in his incredible office, Mr Alba surrounds himself with plants, fun furniture and the kinds of art and books that can set him to dreaming or, as is often the case, working. Now, months into the lockdown, he still has those books and art to turn to, but not the people with whom he works, not the business. We called Mr Alba to see how he is designing for the future.  

What recent times have shown me is how important the objects around me are – the books, the pictures, the things that I turn to for inspiration. What are the things that you’re turning to for inspiration?

I feel very comfortable because I have the chance to live in a beautiful house full of objects, full of books, full of records and CDs, so there is a lot of material. But it is not ordinary life; this is totally extraordinary. So I’m thinking, “What will happen when we’re able to get out again? What kind of collection do we produce?” Because it couldn’t be exactly the same.

So, my idea of the next collection is that maybe it will be based on a kind of calmness, a kind of book full of pictures or drawings, or something different. I don’t think we are going to present a collection the way we used to, at our showroom. Maybe we will have the chance to do something totally new and this is very exciting. 

**I’ve been joking with friends that I’m never going to be able to wear jeans again. They seem too hard, too aggressive, too rigid. Suits, of course, are wonderful. And the tailoring that you do is very much for the way we live now – sort of casual but incredibly elegant and easy to wear. How do you think this is going to change our attitude toward clothes?  **

I guess I feel the same, because I always feel that you have to be comfortable. You have to realise a sense of freedom when you wear something. That’s why I really don’t like the new cloth. We start off with very special material, already soft, but then we age it, develop a kind of patina.

**In terms of process, how much of your work is theoretical, and how much depends on you and your team being with the fabric? **

Oh yeah, I need to touch and to feel and try the fabric. We do a lot to the raw fabric – laundering it, dyeing it, washing it again – to try to reach the depths of those specific feelings that I really need to reach every season. We need to reach a certain point, which gives the material an attitude.

**How big of a deal is it, for a brand like yours, to be worn by James Bond?  **

Oh, it was incredible. Somebody from the Bond production sent us an email and everyone in the company was very, very excited because it is difficult to imagine what would happen when a huge production like that asks for a part of your work. We sent the lookbook and we received the request from them to use one of our corduroys that we develop from scratch, a very special material, very light, very soft. They selected the suit, the one we called Sloop, as well as the duster coat and a pair of trousers. What’s interesting is that they selected a material; basically, everything starts from that material, the attitude.

For me, it’s huge, being part of something so special, because we are a small company. And then I saw a few images on the internet I realised we were in the movie. I was very, very happy. Everyone from the company watched the trailer with a very intense sense of joy. 

I know you like to cook. Are you treating yourself well? What’s for dinner tonight?

Yeah, we are traditionally Italian, so we really like pasta. Next time you come to Milan, I can cook spaghetti with tomato sauce if you want. Because this is my favourite and we are not so mad for meat. We really like fresh vegetables, fruits. I like to cook. My son is 15 years old and he really likes to cook, too. And my wife likes to cook, so every day we share the kitchen and we do something special for the day. That’s important right now, to share that kind of time.