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Stella Novarino

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Stella Jean
Born17 June 1979 (1979-06-17) (age 45) Rome
NationalityHaitian-Italian
OccupationFashion designer

Stella Novarino[1][2] (born 1979)[3] is an Italian fashion designer of partial Haitian origin. Her label, Stella Jean (/ˈstɛlə ˈʒɒn, -ˈʒɒ̃/), utilizes her mother's maiden name. She is a member of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and the only member of Afro-European background.[4]

Education

Novarino studied political science at Sapienza University of Rome, before dropping out.[5]

Early career

Novarino dropped out of school to model for Egon von Fürstenberg.[5] She decided she wanted to try designing while modeling.[6] She is self taught. Her label uses her mother's maiden name Jean, instead of her birth surname Novarino, to reflect her creole heritage.[5] She has collaborated with artisans from developing counties including Peru, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali, and Pakistan in producing her collections.[7][8][9]

In 2011, Novarino won second place in a Vogue Italia emerging designers contest.[10] In 2013, she showcased a collection at Armani/Teatro space during Milan Fashion Week SS14 which included a collaboration with the International Trade Centre's Ethical Fashion Initiative to create sustainable printed fabrics.[3][6][11] For a month in 2014, Victoria and Albert Museum in London exhibited one of her outfits while highlighting diverse designers.[12]

Activism

Stella Novarino took the stage at a BLM protest in June 2020 against racial discrimination in Italy and has later claimed to be the first and only Italian fashion designer to do so.[13][14] In 2021, Novarino co-founded the We Are Made in Italy (WAMI) initiative with Edward Buchanan and Michelle Francine Ngonmo to showcase BIPOC designers with the support of Camera della Moda, including a Milan Fashion Week opening.[15]

Despite WAMI's efforts, Camera della Moda eventually chose not to host a board it advocated for after Novarino publicly posted criticism of other Italian fashion brands. Carlo Capasa, president of Camera della Moda, stated that it "could not host any board that appeared to take public swipes at other members."[16][17] In 2023, Novarino announced that she would withdraw from Milan Fashion Week and begin a hunger strike due to the lack of diversity and inclusion of designers of color.[16]

Personal life

Novarino was born and raised in Rome with a Haitian mother, Violette Jean, and an Italian father, Marcello Novarino.[3] She is a mother of two, and resides in Rome with her children.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Stella Jean". Vogue UK. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2021. Mother Violette Jean ... father, Marcello Novarino. Her decision to use her mother's maiden name for the brand was in order to equally represent both parts of her heritage
  2. ^ a b "Stella Jean | #BoF500". The Business of Fashion. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021. Jean, who uses her mother's maiden name for the brand, rather than her given surname Novarino
  3. ^ a b c "Stella Jean". Vogue UK. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Black Creatives in Italian Fashion Demand Cultural Reform". VOA News. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020. The only Black designer belonging to Italy's influential fashion council is demanding a "long overdue cultural reform
  5. ^ a b c "Stella Jean | #BoF500". The Business of Fashion. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Stella Jean An Ethical Journey". Something About Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Stella Jean RTW Spring 2020". Women's Wear Daily. 21 September 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Stella Jean Partners With FAO". Women's Wear Daily. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Viaggio in Pakistan per Stella Jean". Adnkronos. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  10. ^ Holgate, Mark (12 July 2011). "Big Winner: Angelos Bratis Takes Home the 2011 Italian Vogue
    "Who Is On Next" Award"    . Vogue. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  11. ^ Menkes, Suzy (23 September 2013). "A Giant's Helping Hand". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  12. ^ "Men's Ensemble by Stella Jean", The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014, Victoria and Albert Museum, 20 February 2014, retrieved 31 December 2023
  13. ^ "Stella Jean Doesn't Feel Supported by Italian Fashion Chamber in #BLM Battle". 7 August 2020.
  14. ^ "The BoF Podcast: Stella Jean Asks 'Do Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion?'". 27 August 2020.
  15. ^ "We Are Made in Italy Fall 2021 Initiative". Vogue. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Stella Jean quits Milan Fashion Week over lack of inclusion". AP NEWS. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Où en est la mode en matière de diversité ?". Madame Figaro (in French). 11 April 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
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