We are always so pleased when creative people contact our FB page and show us what they have been designing with our felt. Recently a very talented fashion designer shared some photos from Atlantic City Fashion Week of jackets and capes she designed with our Eco-fi felt.
Who is fashion designer Valentina Opezzo? Valentina was born and raised in northern Italy. Having always loved visual arts she studied and graduated from the college History of Performing Arts (Cinema and Theater). In the beginning Valentina experimented with drawing and painting, later deciding to focus on photography. Fine art photography is her passion, but she also specializes in studio photography and portraits. After moving to Boston with her husband in 2009/2010, Valentina opened her own photography studio and began working as a fashion photographer (runways and look books). Through her photography, she discovered an unexpected new fascination for fashion designing and enrolled at the School of Fashion Design of Boston as a part time student.
Since then Valentina has been developing her own line of clothing and accessories (handbags), aimed for young, dynamic women who love to wear colorful and fun looks, but with a stylish elegance. Her line of clothing is eco-friendly and her handbags are vegan-friendly. Her brand features the matching and mixing materials, colors and prints in unexpected ways to create silhouettes that are modern and vintage at the same time. Her collections have been shown in several fashion shows on the east coast, included Boston, Providence, and Atlantic City (Atlantic City Fashion Week).
Some of her more artistic ensembles were finalists at competitions, and she won “best avant-garde” award at MIT’s 2013 “Trashion” competition, with a dress completely made out of pieces taken from old and broken pianos (piano keys, strings, hammers etc). Using sustainable and up cycled materials is very important to her and avoiding animal fibers (like leather, silk, fur and feathers) is a key factor to her philosophy. A recent piece that has been well received is an Eco-fi felt black and pink coat and cape.
“I love Eco-fi because it’s recycled and eco-friendly, and comes in a variety of bright and beautiful colors. It’s soft to handle and doesn’t wrinkle. It’s also very easy to sew. “
To learn more about Valentina visit her website: https://instilla.wordpress.com. She is also on FB: https://www.facebook.com/voppezzo, Twitter: @INSTILLAfashion, Instagram: @INSTILLAfashion – Valentina
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS:
1. Runway pic of cape: model Josie Love, photographer Bob Cox, Atlantic City Fashion Week #DOACFW 2. Runway pic of coat: model Sophia Leap, photographer Bob Cox, Atlantic City Fashion Week #DOACFW 3. Studio pic: model Annette Chu
Thank you Valentina for making our felt look so good and for sharing your creative journey with us! Looking forward to Valentina’s new collections and what she creates from our new Premium Eco-fi Plus felt.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
May the luck of the Irish find you today!
Debra