Interview: Robert Verdi Doesn’t Take Himself Seriously. You Shouldn’t Either.

AE: What are your design aesthetics and who are your design influences?
RV: Are we talking about fashion? Because I immediately thought about interior design.

AE: Whichever speaks to you more.
RV: I'm redecorating an apartment right now so I'm always thinking in the milieu I’m working in, but the throughline is the same. I'm heavily influenced by classics, so in interior design it's Mies van der Rohe, but then it's also modernists like Laura Kirar. I think that what I like is also a mixture of things. I'm not a purist in any way. I don't only shop one designer.

I like Dior Men but that doesn't mean I don't go to Brooks Brothers and buy a cashmere turtleneck. I have this very diverse way of seeing design that's rooted in classics, but I think design is about what's new and fresh, so you have to know what's modern and fresh, and the latest and the greatest. My wardrobe and my home are designed with that in mind. They're a collision of great classics and super fresh, modern, unexpected, cutting edge in both areas.

Verdi and his team

AE: [laughing] As a person who knows nothing about fashion, I’m missing your references entirely.
RV: I can give you an example. Yes, the white t-shirt is a classic, and I would totally wear it. I would probably wear it with, rather than a navy jacket and a pair of jeans, I would probably do it with a pair of skinny black jeans and a jacket from Rick Owens, because Rick's jackets are classic but incredibly futuristic. The sleeves are much longer, the fit is much closer to the body, the shoulders have a little more of a dramatic shape.

That's how I would hybrid the classic with the modern. I also would intersect things like maybe more urban looks like basketball sneakers with a more preppy look like an argyle sweater. I'm about taking disparate elements and bringing them together.

AE: How did the show end up on Logo?
RV: They're the only executives in television that don't hate me. [laughs] How's that for an answer?

AE: That's a leading statement. Should I follow up on that or not?
RV: I think that Logo is actually an incredibly creative destination for programming right now. It was timing. I had pitched them before and I didn't get anywhere. I met with the right production company who had all the right qualities and they understood me and what I was trying to accomplish. It was the perfect storm.

When you shop a show, you take it to other networks. I wanted to be able to have freedom of expression in many ways that other networks would prohibit me from having, not because they're homophobic. No, they just don't think of themselves as gay networks, even though I do, and I applaud them. Bravo. [laughs]

I knew that going to a network that had much more freedom and liberty to be creative and expressive and original would be a better place for me.

The Robert Verdi Show starring Robert Verdi airs Wedneday nights on Logo at 10 PM.