Photo courtesy of the authors
FUA students interview FLY emerging designer and FUA faculty member Eva Di Franco about her recent participation at the FLY “Tell Me A Story” event, and student Kayla Jacobs who was involved in the event organization.
The Blending of Two Philosophies
With her mushroom haircut and piercing red lip stick, Eva Di Franco smiled shyly when asked to speak on her event. She casually propped up onto the table and swung her legs with her hands folded, took a deep breath, and prepared herself.
This Italian designer and FUA faculty member premiered her Wabi-Sabi fashion line on November 18 at FLY. According to Di Franco, the event titled “Tell me a Story” means a lot to her: “Each designer has a story to tell and everyone has a different medium.
Some people draw, some people write, and some people design clothes.”
Complex Ideas
Being nervous wasn’t an issue for her, although she was certainly worried about how the public would understand the overall concept. She emerged two philosophies into her line, which included a Japanese notion that even the smallest things were beautiful and imperfection is what makes it special. Her other philosophy was a Western influence on how everything must be big, magnificent, and perfect.
Di Franco decided to have two models wear her clothing and do a live performance, thanks to the FLY event format. They read excerpts containing Wabi-Sabi and Western ideas. One model performed the Wabi-Sabi text and the other performed the Western text. Halfway through, they switched clothes along with the excerpts. This represented the two ideas coming together.
A Student's Perspective
Being an equal lover of fashion and designers like Michael Kors and Diane von
Furstenburg, experiential learning student Kayla Jacobs can’t contain her excitement about the FLY event. With big dreams of working in New York City for a magazine as a special events coordinator, she was involved in the event organization and highly anticipated the outcome of the event.
“I hope the evening allowed locals to get a feel of the F.L.Y. fashion department,” Jacobs said. “To see professional designers, local designers, and to see Alexandra (the FAST student selected to participate as a designer) dip her toe into the pond with other really successful designers showed the different phases of success.”
When Jacobs speaks about fashion, her passions are evident. She discusses her love for wearing “all black” and especially enjoys the street style showcased here in Florence.
What Does Fashion Mean to You?
With Jacobs standing next to Di Franco, she claims that she is one of her inspirations. They shared a friendly laugh about the generous statement, and Di Franco concluded with her own piece of advice for fashion lovers: “Be comfortable in what you wear. Fashion is not about trends because trends come and go. Be comfortable.”
Find out more about Eva Di Franco at her website.
