NEW TALENTS: interview with Arianna Di Maio, young talented designer from Accademia della Moda

Creations by Arianna Di Maio and Domizia Vanni

She
made her mark at Fashion Graduate Italia and at the competition Italian Fashion Talent Awards. She’s young but strong-willed. Today we make a chat with Arianna Di Maio, up-and-coming fashion designer from Accademia della Moda.

Arianna Di Maio is one of those young designers who have clear ideas about their talent
and their wishes. 24 years old and
living in Torre del Greco near Naples, since she was a child she revealed a genuine
interest for fashion, transformating dolls in models and creating them
beautiful dresses using small pieces of fabric, with all the poetry and pure
creativity that only children can have.

Arianna Di Maio with a model

Really
soon this passion was transformed into a study medium and she approached to
fashion design with a diploma in “Technical
clothing and fashion” at the Francesco Degni Institute of Torre Del
Greco. Then she decided to deepen her knowledges and improve her skills
studying at IUAD Accademia della Moda in Naples, an important school in South
Italy, where she recently graduated in Fashion Design.

“Stay Woolish” collection at Fashion Graduate Italia

I’ve thought to contact her for this interview because I was really impressed by the
vivid and strong style seen on catwalk at Fashion Graduate Italia and the
beautiful creation presented at Italian Fashion Talent Awards. But, curious as
I am, I want to explore more about Arianna’s world, looking back to her
collections and projects to discover a sure talent of the future.

Let’s
begin our chat with Arianna Di Maio.

You studied at
Accademia della Moda in Naples. How was your educational path and what are the
most important things you’ve learned?

My
fashion journey began at the fashion and clothing highschool of my city, where
I learned the basics of the modelling and tailoring, and where I started to
acquire my knowledge about technical drawing and fabric choosing. My fashion
education concluded at the IUAD Accademia della Moda in Naples, where I learned
the industrial techinque for the creation of my models, and the know-how,
trough different kinds of research, of design and development, to realize a
collection successfully, in order to accomplish my initial mission.

Collection “Raw”

How is your
relationship with experimentation and materials?

When
I design, I look for technical innovation, choosing peculiar fabric matching,
as well as design innovation. My principal goal is to be never too trivial or
too eccentric.

Fabric manipulation by Arianna Di Maio

What are the
inspirations of your collection?

Despite
my young age, I have created several collections. “Sapphire”, created for the event “Moda Città della Cascata” by Pietro Cortese, is an invitation
to rediscover nature, in fact I was inspired by the sea, its movement and its
colors. In this collection the woman is strong and fragile at the same time,
with an oriental flavor. This collection is suitable for both a cocktail and an
evening event.

Collection “Sapphire”

The “Delicate”
collection was conceived for the “Bridal Fashion Award” by Mariapia Della Valle in collaboration with “Calabria Sposi”, dedicated to
women who seek elegance, without sacrificing comfort and practicality. For its
realization, I was inspired by the delicacy of roses and their nuances, ranging
from pale pink to intense purple. In fact, the pink color expresses femininity
and vanity. For this collection I used soft and shiny fabrics, such as to
remember the lightness of the flower. Making use of light points with the use
of embroidered lace, I recalled the drops of dew that are placed on the petals
at the first light of dawn.

Collection “Delicate”

“Raw”, designed for the Italian Fashion Talent Awards 2016, is
dedicated to young women who want to be unique, but not eccentric. For its realization
I was inspired by the balls of wool, from which I made soft braids in strong
and warm colors. The outfit includes fabrics such as cotton and wool, giving a
natural look to the whole, all accompanied by accessories in pint leather, also
woven.

My
latest collection called “Cocoon”,
presented at the Italian Fashion TalentAwards 2017. For its realization I was inspired by the birth of the
butterfly, which, with the breaking of the cocoon becomes free, showing its
natural elegance. The colors I used remind a natural environment: white to
recall the purity and simplicity of the creature, used for the satin strips
applied on a soft tulle dress. While the coat is the color of the earth, packed
in half-weight wool, it has the purpose of recalling the hatching of the cocoon.

Sketches of the collection “Cocoon”

You presented your
collections in important events like Fashion Graduate Italia and Italian
Fashion Talent Awards. Can you describe these experiences and the way you
prepare a fashion show?

Both
events are very important as they offer a wide network of visibility, which
goes beyond a possible win, because there is nothing more satisfying in seeing
your dreams transformed into concrete projects.

Thanks
to the Accademia della Moda in Naples, I had the honor to participate, last
November, at an important event like the Fashion Graduate Italia in Milan, which saw all the Italian fashion academies show
up. After almost a year of study, stylistic research and continuous changes, I
presented the “Stay Woolish” collection.
This project was born from the need to create something new, starting from the
base of the fabric, that is the plot, in fact the weaving is the real key to
the work. With a process of artisan experimentation, which wants to resemble an
industrial model, “Stay Woolish”
wants to transmit a return to the past with elements of innovation and
creativity, using traditional points and techniques made contemporary.

“Stay Woolish” collection

A
few days ago, in Salerno, there was the Italian Fashion Talent Awards where I was lucky enough to participate for the
second year, thanks to the Patron Roberto Jannelli and the organizers Salvatore
Colasante, Giovanni Maioine and the Art Director Pasquale Esposito, where I
showed a preview of my new collection, Cocoon. IFTA is an event full of
experiences, in fact this year it took place over four intense days between
fitting trials and meetings with the jury.

Arianna Di Maio’s creation from the collection “Cocoon” presented at Italian Fashion Talent Awards

Fashion represents a
visual dream that become real. What is your own vision about style?

Fashion
is the channel where you can express yourself, even if you are shy, like
myself. Through designing you can give vent to your enterprising side, creating
surprising clothes.

Is there some style
icon or designer who inspire you?

I
love the oriental style, expecially japanese stylists such as Yohji Yamamoto o
Shingo Sato, with whom I had the pleasure to work for a brief project organized
by the Accademia della Moda where I studied.

I
seek inspiration from my emotions, to create a personal imprinting that others
can associate with me. All of my collections, express my feelings and I try to
make everyone who watchs or wears my creations to feel them too.