Bologna Fashion News!!!
Check out this new article. Is it true? Does Bologna have a chance at getting a fashion week??
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ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Bologna through the eyes of a foreigner:
The Story of Neima, Fashion Designer from Cincinnati
in her atelier on via Guerrazzi she creates vintage style designs: “I am inspired by the everyday style of older Italian woman as they are walking down the street”.
“Milan should find inspiration in Bologna. The true fashion culture, one which is genuinely unique and special you find in this small town”.
Neima Sitawi, fashion designer from Cincinnati, has created a luxury temple in the heart of Bologna, a studio with a vintage vibe where she creates the collections that bear her name: NEIMASITAWI
Opening only six months ago on via Guerrazzi she attempts to bring to life an atmosphere of fashion that you typically find only in the big fashion capitals, of course rather than trying to imitate the fashion capitals, she prefers studying the sartorial traditions of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy: “There is not enough attention given to the great schools of bespoke tailoring in this territory; it is extraordinary. I am very much inspired by the fashion of the 50’s and 60’s and often times get my ideas on the streets of Bologna. Strangely enough, although my target customer is between mid 20’s-mid 60-s, I am inspired by the refined taste of elderly women. The women who are impeccable dressed and wearing suits to do their shopping. I find they have a unique and nostalgic elegance that you just can’t find in the younger generations; a long forgotten air of sophistication and feminine pride”.
Unique is also her adventure, a continuous traveling of the world, where her dreams of becoming a Fashion Designer were often left aside but not forgotten. “Since I was 6 years old I wanted to become a fashion designer. I even completed my first year at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP foundations program. I left this study to pursue international relations and political science and when I graduated, I traveled quite extensively, mostly in Europe”.
Paris, London, Milan but also Luxembourg (where she obtained an MBA in Strategic Marketing) and Basel. This tributary of her life was dedicated to increasing her knowledge of global marketing.
Not until landing in Bologna did she finally unite her education and her longtime passion: “In London and Milan, I spent a great deal of time researching the history of fashion and costume design. When I arrived in Bologna, I began to meet many people working in the fashion industry. Only then did I understand the deep tradition that is here”.
In her creations there is a prevalence for simplicity and a very artisan vision:
“I don’t believe much in mass market, fast fashion. For this reason, I chose Bologna. Milan is saturated and there is not much space for fresh ideas. It is filled with big, mass market brand names. I would prefer to associate my brand with the quaintness of Verona or Bologna and stay under the radar”.
Widely approved by her local public, she is also admired abroad. She has proposed her collection in Istanbul and was enthusiastically received by industry journalists and specialists. She receives clients in the old fashioned way, by appointment but also has an active online boutique and has partnered with the famous Berlin-based miosato.com. Her items are also available in selected luxury shops. “I want to open myself to the entire city by opening a local luxury flagship boutique both in Bologna and in my hometown of Cincinnati. I hope to do so (at least Bologna) in the next six months”.
“Creating my pieces is very expensive as they are sewn by a seasoned, bespoke tailors who currently also works with Giorgio Armani”. The 8th of September she launched her new collection alongside the photography of Giacomo D’Amicis with future plans to invade the streets of Bologna with her designs: “I would like to shoot scenes with my models agains the beautiful architectural backdrop of Bologna in homage to the city. Does she hope to be considered the next Coco Chanel of Bologna? “I wish”, she responded, “I respect her work very much, but she knew how to sew and I don’t”.
Mauro Giordano September 23, Protected content
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