She was chosen,out of hundreds of people who entered the DHL Fashion contest. She won the fashion/style award from DHL, which happened at the Fashion Week expose’ in September 2014. She has been in the fashion industry – designing clothes – since the age of 19. This winner’s clothing lines will be featured on the DHL ecommerce website, in Paris and hopefully coming to the New York tri-state area.
I had the pleasure to be the first person to interview her after winning her award for fashion. I want you to read the story about the winner of the DHL Fashion contest, Francesca Liberatore.
There were four winners selected for the DHL Fashion Contest in May of 2014. What in particular do the winners win? They win fabric from DHL so that they can have enough material to design their clothing brand. They will have DHL support in advertising their clothing brand to display their clothing line on the runway. Francesca Liberatore will have her chance to utilize the runway featuring her designs at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week located in New York City. DHL had chosen these winners because they had already established a name for themselves and (DHL) saw that they were serious about putting their clothing line in the market. They were hard workers in this business. That’s what DHL wanted. Someone who had the desire to do something with clothing and were serious about it. DHL certainly helped these winners put their designs on the map.
Francesca Liberatore will tell us a little something about herself. She stated: I’m very excited to have been chosen. It’s the first time I won something so big. This is my first time ever winning something. My first time being in New York City and my parents first time as well. My parents came here to watch me walk my designs down in the Mercedes Benz Fashion show. It’s a huge experience for all of us.
Francesca then began talking about her family history… My father is a sculptor and my mother is an artist. You can say, this is where I get my interest in fashion. We all have different types of artistic work. I’m just so happy I won because I will get the chance to present my spring and summer clothes collection for 2015.
I’ve worked with a lot of great people. There is one person in particular, who I consider to be a powerful man – “Jean Paul Gaultier.” He’s like my master of fashion. He always tried to show me the right way of designing clothes. He has taken me under his wing – to show me the right way to go with my designs. He has always been so nice to me. I consider him to be such a professional person. I’ve worked with another person called Brioni. He is a designer for men’s wear. His designs are veryunique. His style of fashion for men cannot compare to other designers. I truly love his clothes. There’s one more person from Eastern – and the name is Victor & Rolf. They are all my friends. They are all so powerful. They all have great designs. They all have been there for me since the beginning stages of me designing clothes. I love all of them for that. Francesca said: Her clothing line will not be in any of the New York stores yet but, they will definitely be displayed on the DHL computer on ecommerce. People can purchase my clothing from there. My clothing line will also be displayed in Paris and Belgium. I’m just happy about my amazing clothes. I know, one day, my clothes will be displayed in New York City along with other designers who are famous. I am very proud of myself. I have worked really hard to get to where I am today. I have worked with European designers who are well known for their ideas in fashion.
The European designers showed us some clothing ideas which depicting what people were wearing from the 1990’s. So, I purchased fabrics to replicate that era. Those were the very fabrics that helped design my clothing line. They were the very fabrics which helped me win the DHL contest. Those fabrics were purchased from Paris, Belgium and Italy. We (meaning the crew I hired to help make my designs) looked at the clothing from the 1990’s and that’s how I came up with my own ideas. I wanted to invent a clothing line to look like they are from the 1990’s.
My clothing line, I feel, is right along the lines of Donna Karan’s and other famous people in the industry. I’ve been designing clothes for 10 years now. I was working in Central St. Martin University in London, in 2003. During that time, that’s when I first came up with the concept of designing clothes. I was 19 when I became serious about becoming a designer. I am 31 years old now.
Francesca then began talking about where she was born and raised. I was born in Rome and raised in Italy. After I turned 19, I moved to London. Then left London to live in Amsterdam, moved from Amsterdam to Paris and then to Milan. Now, I’m living between Milan and Paris. Milan is where I am teaching right now in a University. It’s called “The Academy of Fine Art”. My studio is in Rome. With everything I’m doing, I still found time to work in the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Ibegan collaborating on a worldwide show with them. I have many jobs but, working with Moulin Rouge, The University, The studio and my business, I must say… is a wonderful feeling. If it wasn’t for Jean Paul Gaultier and Viktor & Rolfe, I truly don’t think I would have been able to design my clothes and showcase them the way that I did. Without them and their creativity in helping me design my clothes, I don’t think I would have been one of the person’s to win the DHL ecommerce Fashion Show. Because of my fortune (winning the DHL award) and while I was working so hard to compete in the competition, I did not have any time to date. I am not married at this time. I don’t have any children either. In the future I think I will have children. Once I slow down a little bit, then maybe, I would have children and possibly have a husband. But right now, it’s impossible to do so because I’m so busy.
Francesca then ended her interview by saying… My family always supportedme in whatever I wanted to do. Because of my family, because of them having an artistic background, they helped me with my passion. The belief they have in me, in their heart, makes my heart flutter when I think about my mother and my father. My dad spent a lot of his days in a studio so that I can have a great Christmas or any holiday. My dad loves his work and he loves me. My mother always allowed me to do whatever made me happy. If it wasn’t for them, I would not be in this field. I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I can make my clothing designs. I can make a lot of money. What more can I say – except, I love my work. I love what I do.
Francesca finally said… I want to say something to the young people that are getting into the fashion world; as long as you have a strong idea and the passion for this world, then don’t stop. Make sure it is what you want to do. Make sure you want to achieve it. Just really aim high
