The Contour of Luxury Spring/Summer 2018 | Page 38

May I begin by saying thank you for accepting my invitation to be featured as my ‘Person of Intrigue’ in this spring issue of my publication, The Contour of Luxury. The category of ‘Person of Intrigue’ I felt was befitting you, as from first sight of your work, I was tremendously intrigued. As I learned more about your personal story and then more about The Family Business Tattoo Parlour, the next thing I knew I was giving orders to my staff to contact you right away. I am instinctively attracted to creative people who step out and dare to be expressively different all while creating and maintaining high quality in what they create. You have this skill set in spades. (You’re an expert at this). So let’s get started shall we? I know everyone wants to hear more about you, The Family Business Tattoo Parlour and the dynamic and multifaceted Coppoletta Brand… ~Alexis Day Q & A Alexis Day Alexis Day I would like to start with a brief summary of how you started your tattoo journey. You are Italian born, and you studied law into your mid 20’s. However, you were drawn to the tattoo world, so much so that you moved to London and worked as an apprentice, which lead you to the title of professional tattooer and subsequently to your current success path as King of International Tattoo. How does one go from a path of becoming a lawyer to becoming a professional tattooer? What was it that enticed you to make that bold move? In 2003 you opened The Family Business Tattoo Parlour , a professional tattoo studio, in London’s Exmouth market. Can you share a little bit of the back-story to that? For instance, what was your initial inspiration to start this business and was there anything significant about this particular location? Mo Coppoletta When I decided to start tattooing, I was already a collector and obsessed with the art for a few years. At the time the only way to get information and updates on the industry was to buy international magazines, books but most of all to travel to conventions and to visit my favourite studios in the world.All of the above had an aura of magic and romanticism that my lawyer career lacked of, or at least I thought so. When I fall in love with something, it becomes an obsession, so I dived into this fantastic world of tattooing without even realising. With the support (or threat) of my closest friends I decided to give it a try and moved to London. Mo Coppoletta After 5 year spent in two prestigious studios of the capital, it was time for me to open my own shop, to apply my own vision of the craft with the customer service I always wanted. I always had this idea in mind, but I knew I had to wait for the right time. I stumbled upon Exmouth market a few years before and it stuck with me, it is such a peculiar street, the majority of the businesses are still independent, that adds a lot to the character of the street. Most of all it locates in the heart of what was once London’s little Italy, it couldn’t be more appropriate, I think the name of the studio was a consequence of it.