PROFESSION FASHION DESIGNER: FEDERICA GALLO

Making graphic sketches, choosing fabrics and colours, tailoring clothes, fitting them to the client’s body: these are just some of the activities of a fashion designer. Creating as if by magic, out of nothing, garments that aim to quickly become genuine objects of cult for thousands of people, gaining value and success. Once this level is reached, you move on to phase B: the debut on an industrial scale, for which (again the fashion designer’s job) you need to coordinate the production area, safeguarding exceptional quality standards. A real way of understanding and living life and fashion, more than a simple profession.

At the base? Creativity and study, passion and determination. It’s not easy. Plenty of doors slammed in your face and many missed recognitions are often behind the climb to success, especially when you are not yet famous enough to deserve the covers of the most prestigious fashion magazines.

Between fashion, blogs and social networks

Give up, then? NEVER! A fashion designer lives on fashion and passes it on in small doses to every part of their own microcosm. This is also true of Federica Gallo, a very young fashion designer from Taranto, who graduated from the private Fashion Academy with the title of pattern maker and fashion designer. A volcano of energy ready to explode in the fashion system. “I have a very creative mind. That’s exactly why I can’t give up so many things: I throw myself into pretty much everything to do with fashion! This industry is full of facets and if there is passion and creativity, you can even afford to dare towards something new.”

She made her leap into the void by investing heavily in social media, today an essential means of communication for getting known and emerging. Sunny, fun, spontaneous, simple: on Instagram she brings her life in complete everyday normality, and it is precisely her way of being that has won over thousands of followers. “I think they appreciate my way of being, of approaching them. I am always myself, I show many aspects of my life, from work to private, and I do it without filters and I think this is important to be truly known. I try to interact with them as much as possible, I love talking to those who contact me for advice, an opinion or a question. That’s why I feel they are all a bit like friends.”

PROFESSIONE FASHION DESIGNER: FEDERICA GALLO

Putting herself out there with practical tips, suggesting the latest trends, showing the outfits she has made: her world at a click! Where? On her very personal and lively Blog! “At the moment I feel as much a blogger as a fashion designer. Being a pattern maker, on the other hand, was never my dream, but like everything, to be well rounded you have to study even what doesn’t thrill you, and so I pursued that path as well”.

For those who live in this world, awareness of how important image quality is becomes fundamental: focusing on yourself, on your work and doing it in the best possible way, relying on professionals in the field. “I constantly work with a marketing consultant, who is also a photographer. Quality is hugely important. Many companies are looking for something different from the usual DIY photos, they look for attention to detail and, as far as I’m concerned, I prefer quality over quantity.”

A colourful, sparkling, youthful style

Standing out is therefore the key to establishing yourself in the fashion world, and Federica does it through her creations. Colourful, eccentric, fresh: the looks she makes range from sober to casual to elegant, but always in line with the trends of the moment. “Inspiration usually comes from studying the trends that have prevailed over the years, leaving an indelible mark on fashion, but not only. At other times they come to life from a lovely sunny day, a trip, a dream!”. And often it is the dreams of many girls that come to life from her paper sketches, as with needle, thread and a pinch of magic she creates masterpieces tailor-made for every occasion.

At other times, the dream doubles back on itself: and so she finds herself making her own wedding dress. “Probably, in a few months, the garment I will treasure most will be my second wedding dress, which I will create myself. Right now, though, it is the coat: a very difficult garment to make from scratch, especially when you are still starting out, but one that has already given me great satisfaction”.

Dreaming of her own brand…

Dreaming, planning, but above all working hard so that ideas turn into reality. Starting a start-up, registering her own trademark, having a personal womenswear brand: a growing path, ready to bring great satisfaction. “I would like to have a brand of my very own, I am working hard to lay its foundations. At the moment I am evaluating, together with the graphic designer, the various options to register a trademark of my own soon and kick off a start-up. I have been studying the collection for months and I can’t wait to make this project real”.

Very young but with very clear ideas, she carries with her the baggage of lived experiences that have made her grow and improve. The work of a fashion designer is not simple at all: consistency and commitment are the foundations; passion and determination raise the walls of the castle of one’s dreams. “A piece of advice I feel like giving is to study a lot, always be humble and listen to what people with more experience than us tell us. In this job there is a huge amount of competition and many people in the industry are jealous and greedy, they rarely speak openly, so if someone passes on sincere advice, it is important to treasure it. Always believe in yourselves and never give up, be positive and fight for what you want, after all it’s what I’m doing too right now, and I still have a long way to go!”.