MilliOnAir Magazine July/August | Page 193

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Why did you move to London?

“I came for a weekend and met my husband – that was 19 years ago. I love London. It’s my favourite city in the whole world and I would never move back [to the US]. I feel totally British.”

Who has been the biggest influence in your life?

“I’d say my mother Lois. She’s always been supportive, believed in my ideas and never discouraged me from doing anything. She taught me to sew and got me into fashion at a young age. Her first job was as a buyer for Lord & Taylor [department store]. She made me watch all the fashion shows with her, and even though she was a housewife in New Jersey, she read Women’s Wear Daily every day; it was like our bible. At 80, she’s still totally into fashion and looks impeccable. She had to raise five kids, so she never worked [once she married], but was super creative and talented.

“I found out recently that my father’s mother, who came from Italy, started the first all-female factory making clothing in New Jersey with her eight sisters.”

Did you have a mentor when you started the business?

“No one helped; no one wants to give away their secrets, such as where to buy fabrics. I just asked questions over and over again. It’s all about trial and error and making your own mistakes. I found my first factory outside Rome and slowly expanded from there. Victoria’s Secret bought my swimsuit, which ended up being their biggest seller, so I had to find new factories that had the capacity to do their orders as they were huge. That continued for two years and then they started doing their own knock-off versions.”

What made your brand stand out?

“There wasn’t that much competition back in the day. You either bought Speedo or La Perla. My focus was swimwear, whereas most brands would have just one swimsuit at the end of their shows. Now, everybody has added swimwear. For me, it’s all about good quality and fit, and the feedback I get from women is they feel so confident when they wear my pieces. It’s taken years and years of experience to achieve the perfect fit as there are so many different body shapes.”

How did you start out in the industry?

“I was living in Rome [in the late 90s] as a model and couldn’t find any swimwear I liked. At the time, it was all about brights and patterns with zebra prints and crazy tacky neon, so I decided to start my own collection using only solid colours and high-quality fabrics. I was a ‘fit’ model for all the big Italian brands – Valentino, Prada, Fendi – and used to sit in on their meetings with big clients, which was a good learning experience. I wanted to bring back elegance, and within two years, with the help of a friend who still works with me today, I managed to get my pieces featured in Sports Illustrated on all the supers, from Heidi Klum to Tyra Banks, and then into department stores. I now sell in 62 countries, including all over the States.”

Melissa Odabash