VALENTINA OPPEZZO
Fashion Designer
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
Valentina is an Italian fashion designer, now living in the Boston area. Formerly a fashion photographer, she combines her experience in different fields of visual arts (cinema, painting, drawing and, of course, photography), to create colorful, joyful, stylish clothes and handbags of vintage inspiration, mixing prints, textures and materials.
Inspired by her childhood sunny summers in Italy, during the 80s, her latest summer collection is 100% vegan-friendly and it incorporates eco-friendly fabrics and materials. Some of the fabrics and all the t-shirt graphics are designed by Valentina, while the illustrations on the handbags are designed in collaboration with Italian graphic novel artist Paola Antista.
She attended the School of Fashion Design (Boston) as a part-time student. Her first fashion show was SEED 2013 in Providence, and since then she has shown her work on several runways along the East Coast (Boston, New York, Atlantic City), and more recently at Styleweek Northeast, at Paris Fashion Week and in London.
Visit https://instilla.wordpress.com/ for more information
Inspired by her childhood sunny summers in Italy, during the 80s, her latest summer collection is 100% vegan-friendly and it incorporates eco-friendly fabrics and materials. Some of the fabrics and all the t-shirt graphics are designed by Valentina, while the illustrations on the handbags are designed in collaboration with Italian graphic novel artist Paola Antista.
She attended the School of Fashion Design (Boston) as a part-time student. Her first fashion show was SEED 2013 in Providence, and since then she has shown her work on several runways along the East Coast (Boston, New York, Atlantic City), and more recently at Styleweek Northeast, at Paris Fashion Week and in London.
Visit https://instilla.wordpress.com/ for more information
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel - London, England
INTERVIEW
VALENTINA OPPEZZO AND WORLDFASHIONMEDIANEWS....
A MUST READ!!!
VALENTINA OPPEZZO AND WORLDFASHIONMEDIANEWS....
A MUST READ!!!
***Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from? What's your educational background?
I'm Italian, I was born and raised there, and I moved to the US in 2009/2010 when I was 27. I went to college in Italy, when I majored in history of Cinema and Theater.
***What does fashion mean to you?
Fashion is a wonderful way for people to express themselves, to define their identity, to have their own individual voice inside a crowd. To me, designing means giving girls and women the instruments to achieve all of this.
***When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?
I was working as a Fashion photographer - I had my photographic studio for a couple of years, in Boston - when I realized I wanted to learn more about what I was photographing, so I decided to go back to school and to learn designing. I enrolled at the School of Fashion Design of Boston in 2012.
***Do you try to keep with the trends or create your own?
I try to compromise between these two options, keeping myself updated about trends, but also not following them too much.
***What was the first article of clothing you ever designed?
A little black dress.
***Describe the general process you go through to design and realize a piece of clothing or accessory.
I start by looking for inspiration browsing current trends on magazines and Youtube, but I also seek for a theme/concept outside fashion, in other media/ type of arts/ cultures etc. Then I sketch, just for getting an idea of the direction that I want to go to. But final designs are typically kind of far from the original sketches. For clothing, I normally start by draping, and after I perfect the patterns by measurement. For handbags, instead, there is more planning ahead, and after I draft the patterns, I make one first sample just to see if I like the shape of the bag, followed by a more complete sample made with the actual materials I'll use for it. I often design also the prints to be printed on my fabrics, and in that case, this step will be the first, but prints will encounter many changes through the entire process before the final product is ready.
***What are some of your accomplishments as a designer?
I have been very lucky to show my collections at US and international fashion shows, as in Boston, New York, Atlantic City, Providence RI, Paris and London.
***Who are some of your favorite designers?
I love Stella Mccartney's collections, all vegan-friendly. I find Dolce&Gabbana's aesthetic extremely compelling, fun, and true to the Italian spirit. Akris is another brand I really like. I also admire, in general, the DIY movement of talented crafters around the world, who make or personalize their own pieces of clothing and share their experience on blogs and social media. I find very inspirational how people nowdays want to have an active part in fashion, instead of just being consumers.
***Where can readers buy your clothes/handbags?
They will be available for purchase soon (spring) on my website (now under construction. stay tuned! :))
***How do you prepare for a fashion show?
There is a lot of work and preparation behind a show. After casting calls and fittings, I photograph all clothes and handbags and prepare cards with detailed description of the outfits, and information about the models wearing them. Everything is of course packed and carried very carefully.
***Do you prefer sketching designs or actually constructing them?
Constructing them, definitely.
***What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?
Don't be afraid to collaborate with other designers/artists, and learn from them as much as you can. Don't follow to much the trends, or seek inspiration exclusively from other pieces of clothing. Inspiration can be anywhere! Also, know your costumer very well. Find somebody who can, want, and will wear your clothes in real life (if not you), and have them (or you) testing your fashion pieces in real life.
***How would you define your personal style and the style your line exemplifies?
Colorful, fun, and a little ironic. Slightly vintage, with many prints and different colors and materials.
I'm Italian, I was born and raised there, and I moved to the US in 2009/2010 when I was 27. I went to college in Italy, when I majored in history of Cinema and Theater.
***What does fashion mean to you?
Fashion is a wonderful way for people to express themselves, to define their identity, to have their own individual voice inside a crowd. To me, designing means giving girls and women the instruments to achieve all of this.
***When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?
I was working as a Fashion photographer - I had my photographic studio for a couple of years, in Boston - when I realized I wanted to learn more about what I was photographing, so I decided to go back to school and to learn designing. I enrolled at the School of Fashion Design of Boston in 2012.
***Do you try to keep with the trends or create your own?
I try to compromise between these two options, keeping myself updated about trends, but also not following them too much.
***What was the first article of clothing you ever designed?
A little black dress.
***Describe the general process you go through to design and realize a piece of clothing or accessory.
I start by looking for inspiration browsing current trends on magazines and Youtube, but I also seek for a theme/concept outside fashion, in other media/ type of arts/ cultures etc. Then I sketch, just for getting an idea of the direction that I want to go to. But final designs are typically kind of far from the original sketches. For clothing, I normally start by draping, and after I perfect the patterns by measurement. For handbags, instead, there is more planning ahead, and after I draft the patterns, I make one first sample just to see if I like the shape of the bag, followed by a more complete sample made with the actual materials I'll use for it. I often design also the prints to be printed on my fabrics, and in that case, this step will be the first, but prints will encounter many changes through the entire process before the final product is ready.
***What are some of your accomplishments as a designer?
I have been very lucky to show my collections at US and international fashion shows, as in Boston, New York, Atlantic City, Providence RI, Paris and London.
***Who are some of your favorite designers?
I love Stella Mccartney's collections, all vegan-friendly. I find Dolce&Gabbana's aesthetic extremely compelling, fun, and true to the Italian spirit. Akris is another brand I really like. I also admire, in general, the DIY movement of talented crafters around the world, who make or personalize their own pieces of clothing and share their experience on blogs and social media. I find very inspirational how people nowdays want to have an active part in fashion, instead of just being consumers.
***Where can readers buy your clothes/handbags?
They will be available for purchase soon (spring) on my website (now under construction. stay tuned! :))
***How do you prepare for a fashion show?
There is a lot of work and preparation behind a show. After casting calls and fittings, I photograph all clothes and handbags and prepare cards with detailed description of the outfits, and information about the models wearing them. Everything is of course packed and carried very carefully.
***Do you prefer sketching designs or actually constructing them?
Constructing them, definitely.
***What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?
Don't be afraid to collaborate with other designers/artists, and learn from them as much as you can. Don't follow to much the trends, or seek inspiration exclusively from other pieces of clothing. Inspiration can be anywhere! Also, know your costumer very well. Find somebody who can, want, and will wear your clothes in real life (if not you), and have them (or you) testing your fashion pieces in real life.
***How would you define your personal style and the style your line exemplifies?
Colorful, fun, and a little ironic. Slightly vintage, with many prints and different colors and materials.
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel - London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England
FDC Young Designer Awards - 2015 - Pullman Hotel -
London, England