Watch and listen to more #BoFLIVE conversations here. Some inspirations are overt, such as a bomber jacket that resembles a Haitian coffee-bean sack and a coordinating fringed miniskirt. This girl is a game changer. Prints are part of my collections and theyre like children to me. Stella Jean has plenty on her plate. And was it difficult to offer such a unique take on Italian fashion as an Italo-Hatian designer? To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. STELLA JEAN: I do not really think that everything happens by chance or suddenly, so unmotivated. Goodwill Ambassador, though she cant disclose the location. Weve also collaborated on the ground with some exceptional minority communities, at risk of extinction. Jean recognises fashion as a tool that can offer fair and equitable opportunities for people in low-income countries. The model turned fashion designer is carving her own path in the Italian fashion industry and if you dont think shes unstoppable now, you will have no qualms about it when you hear headlines of her being The first black woman to or The first woman of Haitian heritage to. Indeed the 26-piece collection brings together a mishmash of references that could only be culled from personal experience. One of the benefits of working with Desigual is that Jean can sell her design vision at a lower price point, thus opening herself up to new customers. The code has been copied to your clipboard. For the understated, theres a sophisticated black midi-dress. Too often ethical fashion transforms into an unacceptable and inhumane marketing strategy which [feeds into a damaging] saviour mentality - defined as the paradoxical exploitation of the weakest and most vulnerable. Nichelle Cole: Stella Jean as a brand is covered in beauty and innovation and glamour and I suspect that as a designer there is an interesting origins story to Stella Jean as a designer. America elects their next President and Vice President. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Spun from eco-friendly merino wool, the glorious knits - the Samburu and Kiziwani - are inspired by the landscapes and mythologies of Kenya and Tanzania as interpreted by Armitage, whose abstract and colourful paintings raise questions about identity. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. I have many ideas, but I cant reveal anything. She collaborated with the Topchu Art Group, an association of women artisans, to create a capsule collection of five pieces with Kyrgyz embroidery at the forefront. to work with another person or group in order to reach a goal; solidarity n. a feeling of unity between people who have the same interests and goals, artisans n. a person who is skilled at making things by hand, exhibition n. the act of showing something in public, ridiculous adj. ________________________________________________, featuring n. showing an interesting or important part, quality or ability, runway n. an area where models walk and show new styles of clothing. Colleen Barry reported this story for The Associated Press. In this specific moment, they speak to a regained space, she says. [The emboideries were presented at the tenth instalment of Jeans Laboratorio delle Nazioni, or Laboratory of Nations, project, an ongoing scheme supported by the United Nations that promotes the work of skilled artisans from low-income countries around the world.]. Stella Jean is a Haitian-Italian clothes designer who is trying to change the Italian fashion industry by working with African designers. Ad Choices. The beginning of my work coincides with an extraordinary work I did on myself when I decided to undress myself of every superstructure and tell who I was. [Op-Ed | Fashion Is Part of the Race Problem], [Op-Ed | Inclusivity Demands More Than a Show]. She is also working on a database to document examples of when African culture is misrepresented in the fashion industry. And whilebeing part of a multiracial family in Italy in the Eighties not only shaped me as a person, but also inspired my professional path, however, it has been neither simple nor painless. Edward Buchanan and Michelle Ngomo are two Black fashion designers working in Milan. Im not a person who gives up easily, so I took it as a challenge and thats something thats very stimulating to me., My eyes are always looking towards the future and the possible historical and cultural combinations for a cross-creativity that does not put limits on social and textile combinations., I still have much work to do and now it is very important to think about consolidating my structure. The epicenter of runway news, street style, and emerging trends. "The colour doesn't have to be the reason you hire someone for sure, but it can't be the reason you don't hire either.". Click to unsubscribe from notifications on this device. And I added prints and elements from the southern hemisphere, seemingly so distant. With immediate effect, the result may appear an African tribal style, but in fact, the lines of Art Deco period of 80s are what most characterize the collection. We just have to accompany them, and then let them go find their own path. A runway show calls for the impetus of many minds and an equal number of wills. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. So finally having something that people can afford and buy, I think its part of the inclusive concept also.. Nichelle Cole: Many designers are getting more and more involved in using their celebrity and long-standing fashion clout as a method to bring about change in impoverished lands or awareness about environmental issues but youve been sourcing fabrics with Burkina Faso for your collection almost from the beginning. Jean also wants the world fashion system to value sustainable production methods. They are so deeply an essential part of the creative side of my work that I could never choose., I dont think there is a wrong way to wear prints. I hope it will be something joyful but also really emotional, she says. In an interview with Vogue, she stated, When I saw all that beauty, the richness of the colors, the symbology, the history behind this culture, I was blown awayThese women are custodians of a naturally circular economy, totally equitable and with the lowest environmental impact.. We have been roommates and have become friends. She now coaches girls and trains mothers in Karimabad, where she founded the Chitral Womens Handicraft Centre, which produced embroidery for one of [my] collections. Photo: Courtesy of Desigual x Stella Jean. Its not her first trip with the United Nationsshes traveled to Uzbekistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, and other countries to meet female artisans. Rather, fashion is about showcasing the contributions and creativity of marginalized Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) based on ecological practices. She said she has been working against the mentality of a certain part of the Italian fashion world.. It all adds insult to injury. For more information read our Terms & Conditions. (LogOut/ It's never been easier to stay up-to-date on the latest fashion, beauty, and lifestyle stories. I had the honor of being able to interpret, through my feelings and my particular vision, the unique centennial fabric of Burkina Faso. Actually, my cultural background made it harder for me to find an identity. The inspiration comes from family tradition: wax fabrics of upholsteries are connected to my Caribbean maternal heritage, and at the same time they are evoking the Italian paternal style, expressed in the masculine stripes of mens shirts. Despite winning second place, her early years as a designer was not easy. "Following the murder of George Floyd, the most important gatekeepers of Italian fashion showed unprecedented social solidarity with the American cause," she said. Stella Jean is undoubtedly an immense source of Caribbean pride. And now I hope that all this can be figured out soon, under a deep respect and not just for pitiful tolerance. 2022 Cond Nast. I want to create new and unexpected cultural messages. I combined these two elements together and I finally started on the right path with my Wax & Stripes philosohpy in which the African wax textiles refer to the Haitian roots of my mother and the masculine stripes to my Italian father. Please provide a valid email address. Then last month she launched an appeal for reform in the Italian fashion industry under the slogan, "Do Black Lives Matter in Italy?". And thanks to the Afro Fashion Association, Stella was able to team up with big names such as Michelle Ngonmo and Edward Buchanan to mentor and guide these five upcoming Black designers who were able to showcase their works at Milan Fashion Week. It was touching to feel astonished by such a great art and skill. For Stella, otherwise known as Giorgio Armanis protegee, fashion is not about appealing to high society and manipulating human beauty for financial gain. Theres still so much to learn and discover. Nichelle Cole: At Salone del Mobile you revealed a capsule collection for interior design. contest gave me motivation, and I tried to figure out what was wrong. Stella Jean, the Haitian-Italian designer who has just announced a boycott of Milan Fashion Week, says she has suffered racism all her life. So I decided to make something more real, unique, and what is unique about me is my own personal story, my roots. STELLA JEAN: Im sorry, but I can not share so much. Stella, in contrast, ensures that her designs are created in a way that shields BIPOC communities in developing countries from exploitation and evades environmental degradation. My path into the industry was quite unorthodox and unconventional. In Italy too, there have been signs of progress, said Jean. This fearless designer's desire to represent her Haitian roots in a predominantly Eurocentric industry gave birth to the Stella Jean fashion brand. When Olga Donskova Re Rebaudengo [daughter-in-law of the founder of the Italian arts centre] spoke to me about the ArtColLab project, I couldnt hold back my enthusiasm, because I consider Michael Armitage a refined and responsible witness of his time. I said, I wont participate again until Im not the only BIPOC here, she says. She quit in 2020 amid the Black Lives Matter protests, due to the fact that she was the only Black member. While brands rushed to post black squares on social media, Jean urged leaders to first address the lack of diversity within their corporate structures. In the process, I learned how to approach the fashion industry. The URL has been copied to your clipboard, Fashion designer Stella Jean wears a face mask to stop the spread of COVID-19 as she holds fabrics during an interview with the Associated Press, in Rome, on Wednesday, February 24, 2020. This weak point has becomeboth a strength and a fresh start. Stella Jean was born in Rome thirty-six years ago and still lives there. I had the opportunity to go to Burkina Faso and there I met extraordinary women who take care of everything in their villages and they have the unique ability to weave by hand. Everything started because of my need to use fashion as a cultural translator, to find my own expressive language, and a tool against colonization re-establishing the balance between symbols, stories, and different worlds through style. Explain why or why not? "In fashion we have to start amplifying the voices of women and men of all colours. Now Jean, whose brightly-coloured skirts and dresses are worn by celebrities including Beyonce and Rihanna, says she can no longer remain silent in the face of what she sees as a rise in racially-charged incidents in Italian fashion. And the beautiful felted decorations have only been loaned to us - theyre theirsWere not their saviors. She was given the opportunity to showcase her designs in the Armani/Teatro space during Milano Moda Donna for Fashion Week Spring Summer 2014. Multiculturalism is invalid if, in the longshot, vulnerable BIPOC communities are still being harmed. Through a collaboration with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and a partnership with Mountain Partnership Products, Stella gave women in Central Asia a voice, which they never imagined having. Thats my idea of a cross multiculturalism. All rights reserved. What was the reception like initially and how did you push through any adversity to see this through? When Jean creates a collection she meets and works with various artisans in countries like Peru, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Mali or Pakistan for example, researching and learning about the local indigenous skills to then create a textile or garment, combining the country's traditional craftsmanship with Italian design. How could I choose just one? When you want to do something, you can do them immediately, said Jean. Reporting on Sustainable Fashion, Design & living since 2012. In the capsule, I reflected a great deal on my personal mtissage, she says. I will let the audience find out for themselves! They collaborated with Jean demanding fashion companies show their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement through action. Op-Ed | Fashion Is Part of the Race Problem, Op-Ed | Inclusivity Demands More Than a Show. If you've forgotten your password, enter your e-mail address and we'll send you an e-mail telling you how to recover it. Write to us in the Comments Section. LONDON, United Kingdom For designer Stella Jean, enough is enough. Drink some coffee, put on some gangsta rap, and handle it. Often we read some comments on our social media where people say, I have to work on my life to buy one of these pieces, she says. 2016 Savoir Flair. "An entire generation of new Italians have lived for too long in a condition of total invisibility." Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The turning point was probably when I decided to undress myself of every superstructure and tell the world who I really was. For sure starting as a model allowed me to commit what I would call sleight of hand I was able to see and understand how designers approached and lived fashion. Can we expect more from you in this area? A first step is better than no steps at all. In order: Images courtesy of Stella Jean, The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Blending traditions that are so distant. Italys fashion industry has been plagued with endemic racism and xenophobia for countless years and a first step towards dispelling such prejudice has only just been made. Such patterns are symbols of prosperity and good luck but more than the ancient meaning behind these beautiful embroideries, Stella prides herself on paying tribute to Central Asian fashion rather than the conventional trench coat and heeled-boots look of the fall season. Jean, meanwhile, draws on her own Italian-Haitian heritage in her mission to bring the essence of different cultures together, combining the lightness of Italian tailoring with the bright graphic motifs and meticulous craftsmanship of African, Asian and Caribbean communities. We want to hear from you. Example: myname@email.com. I feel like we should have seen this coming. Interview with ethical fashion pioneer designer Stella Jean on being chosen for the Victoria and Albert exhibition in London and her new interior design collection shown during Salone de Mobile. Its about working with them, living with them, and letting them decide what they want to give you, she explains. Karishma Ali and I travelled up and down the Hindu Kush mountains, crossing thousands of kilometres, exchanging traditional meals and exchanding stories. They always say it happens all of a sudden would you agree? Please provide a valid e-mail address. Would you ever consider doing a collaboration with other brands like H&M or Adidas? STELLA JEAN: This collection is born from the desire to make the Wax & Stripes Philosophy a way of life that can infect all aspects of daily life. Sign in or register to keep track of all your favorite articles, outfits and images that inspire you, or any items you might want to own, all in this little space of yours. I am very superstitious! Start your free trial, Why Penelope Cruz is an expert in Chanel, both on and off-screen, The energising allure of Tabayer jewellery. Armitage - due to kick off a solo show at Londons Royal Academy next March -is a figurative painter who uses soft and dreamy forms of abstraction to challenge colonial assumptions about East Africa and to bring into focus both the positive and negative aspects of modern Kenyan society. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini), Designer Stella Jean joins the band Soul Voices at the end of her fashion show in Milan, Italy, Sunday, September 24, 2017. extremely silly or unreasonable. Interview With Ethical Fashion Pioneer, Designer StellaJean. Learn how your comment data is processed. In the latest episode of The BoF Podcast, Jean sat down with BoF Founder and Editor-in-Chief Imran Amed to share her personal history growing up the daughter of a Haitian mother and Italian father, discuss the systemic racism within Italys fashion sector and focus on fostering change. When a few years ago we did an exhibition on Black fashion designerswe were very shocked to realize that on Vogue.com, something ridiculous, like 1 percent of the designers featured were Black, Steele said. Im very superstitious and I prefer the facta, non verba philosophy.. England and Wales company registration number 2008885, Subscribe to TheWeek. @joebiden and @kamalaharris, Jeans for Refugees Initiative Ends inLondon, Stella Jean, Change Agent in Fashion | The Fashion Plate Magazine, Stella Jean, A Change Agent in Fashion | The Fashion Plate Magazine, Stella Jean: I want to create new and unexpected cultural messages | The Closet Feminist. She said many of Jeans ideas could be copied in the United States and other places. Italian fashion houses have been criticised in recent years for creating products deemed racist, including Gucci's 2019 "Blackface" sweater with a mouth cut out and trimmed in red, and Prada's 2018 keychain of a monkey with inflated lips. Her decision to use her mothers maiden name for her brand in place of her surname Novarino was done to represent her Caribbean heritage. The capsules prices range from $49.95 to $209.95, whereas a dress from Jeans namesake label costs somewhere in the upper three figures. Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community. STELLA JEAN: Certainly I will carry on the work begun with The International Trade Centre, the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, as parte of the Ethical Fashion Initiative, the project about creating beautiful luxury handwork produced 100% ethically by disadvantaged communities in Africa. My creations have to tell something about me and I think I have just been able to turn my familiar background with two cultures into a strength and so my personal assets have been understood and appreciatedthats amazing! Getting to this point of equilibrium has been so difficult, in a country, for example, like Italy at the beginning of the 80s, was totally unprepared forthis multicultural mix. Every day, receive Savoir Flair's top articles straight to your computer or smartphone. Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 2 August 2022, UEFA WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP 31 JUL 2022 ENGLAND VS GERMANY VIEWING OPTION. The collection will include home accessories, fabrics, accessories and table linen. Absolutely stunning work. The fact that Dubai-based concept boutique Symphony asked to collaborate with the fashion designer on a limited-edition Ramadan capsule collection is just further proof of the brands popularity in the Middle East. "[Brands] have long preached multiculturalism but have rarely applied such concepts beyond the media window [and] in the spaces away from the spotlight where no one is watching," she said. Others are more subtle, like a fabric incorporating imagery of Haitian gingerbread houses or a patchwork (a Desigual signature) inspired by Spain. The companys slogan, Multiculturalism Applied to Ethical Fashion, perfectly embodies everything Stella stands for. In this exclusive interview, Savoir Flair gets to know the Haitian-Italian fashion designer Stella Jean (who confirms that weve been saying her last name correctly, I would say that John is pretty close without emphasizing on the nat the end), the mastermind behind the brand thats heavily fueled by prints and passion. What was the final click to go from model to fashion designer? "[This is a] wound that we have ignored for far too long If you don't understand that awareness is the first step in solving the problem, this wound will never heal.". What made you decide to make the collection? Its a bit of an exclusive concept. Sometimes, its muchbetterto use another print rather than a plain color to dilute the overall effect of the look., Fashion is my most authentic communication medium through which I have been able to express and resolve the sense of inadequacy that has guided me through the first years of my life. Steele said Black designers are also under-represented in the United States although Black culture has done a lot for the fashion industry. What matters is opting for a style made by curiosity, experimentation, audacity, and a pinch of irony always marked by a personal, unique, and visible touch., We shouldnt assume that a plain color serves to mitigate the impression of a total look ofprints. Stella reiterated that We Are Made in Italy aimed to counter the misconception that to be Italian and a representative of Made in Italy is to be white., Most notable about the We Are Made in Italy project was the inclusion of not only black models but women wearing hijabs in the collection Abaya Businesswoman - Spring Summer 2022, proudly promoted on Stella Jeans Instagram page. To find out more, I spoke to Jean about this special knitwear project and her various experiences as a leader in sustainable and ethical luxury fashion. Much like Central Asian cultures are often neglected, brown cultures are often thrown to the side whenever racial and ethnic discourse emerges in popular spaces such as music and fashion. Valerie Steele is the director of The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York City. Stella Jeans revolutionary 2021 Fall Collection was preceded by her equally as revolutionary 2021 Spring Collection which set the tone for a year filled with diversity and multicultural representation. collaborate v. At the end of our interview, she casually mentions that shes heading on a trip as a U.N. Visit our corporate site www.futureplc.com Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. Stella Jean exploded onto the fashion scene as one of the emerging designers to know from Milan Fashion Week in 2014. Despite many challenges, she persisted and has become a national womens football champion. As for whats next for Jean, she is making a return to the Italian Fashion Chamber. 2021 The Business of Fashion. Its magic and energy. Revealing its essence in advance would mean undermining a huge amount of teamwork. It is [a sentiment that stands for] a substantial part of my DNA, as I think it does for Michael. My only additional personal advice is to pin a fresh flower in your hair while wearing it. We wanted to creatively respond to a suspension and to show that we had not surrendered from our history and heritage. The sweaters we designed are a demonstration of how multiculturalism applied to fashion and art can become a practical example of open dialogue and intimate, everyday confrontation. With her playful approach and hard-to-miss design aesthetic that screams summer fever, hers is definitely one of the brands that has captured the regions best-dressed womens attention. The use of multiculturalism for aesthetics easily treads the line of cultural appropriation. If we really want true ethical change, this is the first truth that we must face. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. I prefer to talk about something that Ive already doneFacta, non verba! As I am the result of a mix of different cultures and races that could appear completely opposed, but Iwantto promote a sophisticated and alternative multiculturalism through fashion. Multiculturalism applied toethical fashion - so goes the mantra ofStella Jeans label, and theItalian fashion designers latest collaboration adds a painterly twist too.
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