STELLA JEAN - HAITI'S FASHION TREASURE
By Walter Greene
The name STELLA JEAN may not be popular among the US or Caribbean fashion circles....as yet, but, in Italy and throughout Europe, as well as pockets around the world including Africa, Stella Jean is well recognized as one of the world's up and rising stars in the fashion design world. She ranks among one of the most talented in Italy, so much so, that Giorgio Armani anointed her and even opened his 550 seat private viewing theater for her to show her spring/summer 2014 collection. It
was the first time he shared his show-space with any designer. Stella Jean is sold in over 100 stores worldwide, including, Saudi Arabia, London, France, Kuwait, and, of course her homebase in Italy. Her bold and eclectic aesthetic is widely worn by elegant women of distinction who crave her bold prints and flared, jazzy skirts all flecked with Caribbean and African influences.
GUIDANCE FROM MR ARMANI
"I want to communicate through clothes as a concept of opposite worlds and traditions, fusing together in a sophisticated way and standing side by side with equal importance, not covering the other up," the designer told The Telegraph. "I cried in front of Mr. Armani when I met him at a Vogue Italia fashion event. I felt so small talking to such a giant." Mr Armani watched her show from behind the scenes, and loved it, congratulating her backstage. "He gave me great feedback, he was very complimentary, to have faith in what I was doing." said Jean, who also revealed that Armani advised her not to follow the mainstream and not to be afraid to follow my own vision. He just gave me the strength to go on with my unique ideas."
GROWING UP IN ITALY
Designer Stella Jean was born in Italy in 1979 to a Haitian mother Violette Jean and and Italian father Marcello Novarino. Raised in Rome, Stella studied political science at Sapenza University of Rome. She has one younger sister named Manuella and noted that it was very difficult growing up in a black and white family in Italy. She was Italian but did not feel Italian, but, did nt feel Haitian either. As a teenager, Stella wanted to leave Italy for the United States or France; "where multiracial families were more accepted."
MODEL INTO DESIGNER
Working as a model for designers Egon Von Furstemberg (former husband of Diane Von Furstenberg) and other Italian designers like; Valextra and Gattinoni opened the doors to the fashion industry for Stella Jean. Stella got married to art gallery owner, Filippo Sprovieno, and, had two beautiful children. She showed her first collection in 2012 and revealed how difficult it was being new in the game and not knowing the A to Z of production and details like fabric purchasing etc. "I had constant support from Alta Rome and the editors of Italian Vogue Magazine." She had entered the prestigious Vogue Italia `Who Is On Next' designer talent competition for two years in a row and was not accepted. She eventually won the award and that was the breakthrough she needed.
THE SPICIFIC STELLA JEAN LOOK
Stella Jean established herself with her unique signature style which she described as; "The merger of the exoticism of her creole heritage and the craftsmanship of her Italian roots - which results in classic, feminine, tailoring synched at the waist, with dirndi skirts infused with tribal prints and bold vivid colors." Stella presented her first menswear collection in Florence, Italy in 2013.
ETHICAL FASHION
Last year, Stella Jean collaborated with the International Trade Center for Ethical Fashion Initiative. This is a United Nations project to source local fabrics, where she met with artisans, weavers and embroiderers and was very impressed by the wealth of talent she encountered. This collaboration revealed the printed fabrics used in her collection. She went to work with the creators of this fabric in Burkino Faso in West Africa with the International Trade Center for Ethical Fashion Initiative, which resulted in the success of her fashion line last year and moving forward. The fabrics were sustainably sourced, hand crafted and benefiting trade workers in disadvantaged communities in Africa. Taking a multicultural approach to her work, this designer represents a new school of fashion designers who are drenched in African and Caribbean roots, creating clothes in a new, more ethical way, which goes beyond the actual design process and help thousands along the way.
