Stella Jean

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Stella Novarino,[1][2] known professionally as Stella Jean (/ˈstɛlə ˈʒɒn, -ˈʒɒ̃/; born 1979),[3] is an Italian fashion designer of partial Haitian origin. She is a member of the Italian Chamber of Fashion and the only member of Afro-European background.[4] Living and working in Rome, Jean is considered to be Giorgio Armani's protégé.[5]

The basis of Jean's work is multiculturalism applied to fashion, resulting in a cultural fusion of her own métisse identity. Her work often merges classical Italian tailoring with stylistic features of varying cultures. Stella Jean created the business model and sustainable development platform: "Laboratorio delle Nazioni". In 2019 she was highlighted by the New York Times as the most convincing of all the New Gen designers in Milan.[6]

Early years[]

Jean was born and raised in Rome to a Haitian mother, Violette Jean, and an Italian father, Marcello Novarino.[3] She studied political science at Sapienza University of Rome, before dropping out to model for Egon von Fürstenberg, fashion designer and ex-husband of Diane von Fürstenberg.[7] It is here where she realized that she would rather make the clothes than wear them.[8]

Career[]

Jean began receiving attention at Vogue Italia’s "Who Is On Next" contest in 2011 when she won second place.[9] When making her fashion brand, she decided has to use her mothers maiden name Jean, instead of her birth surname Novarino.[7]

In 2013, Giorgio Armani asked her to showcase her designs in the Armani/Teatro space during Milano Moda Donna[5] for Fashion Week SS14. For Jean's spring/summer 2014 collection, she collaborated with the International Trade Centre's Ethical Fashion Initiative. As a result, the printed fabrics for this collection were sustainably sourced, hand-crafted and aimed at helping trade workers in disadvantaged communities in Africa.[3][8] She also collaborated on shoes with Christian Louboutin for her AW14 collection, which featured her first menswear collection.

In April 2014 she was selected by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to exhibit several outfits in its Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945-2014[10] exhibition.

Stella attended as a speaker on the “Power of Empowered Women” discussion panel at the Palace of Nations and, on the same day, presented her garments created in collaboration with the United Nations ethical fashion program at the World Trade Organization (WTO). She also participated in the Global Fashion Capitals exposition at the FIT Museum in New York, exhibiting one of her Autumn | Winter 2018 creations.

Jean has been invited to attend as speaker at the first edition of the prestigious “High-level Conference on Responsible Management of the Supply Chain in the Garment Sector”, organised in Brussels by the European Commission for Cooperation and International Development.

Her brand is based in Rome, but it is also stocked in specialty boutiques worldwide such as Matches Fashion, The Corner, Moda Operandi, Farfetch, United Arrows, and Alara Lagos.[7]

Laboratorio delle Nazioni (LDN)[]

Stella Jean has built the business model and sustainable development platform entitled “Laboratorio delle Nazioni." It focuses on what occurs when fashion becomes a tool for cooperative international development. Through missions on the field, each SJ collection is the result of the construction of a cultural bridge between Italian design and the women artisans of a developing country during each different season. An international cooperation between Jean's aesthetic and the artisans of developing countries is an ever present staple of her designs, which aim to promote cultural heritage as an enabler and a driver of sustainable development. Despite the thousands of miles of distance that may lie between them, countless hands of women artisans in different countries work together in an ideal Laboratory of Nations, with the common goal of caring and preserving an endangered global cultural heritage. In so doing, these women are building their own economic autonomy, preserving their own traditions, and at the same time gaining a small seat at the global market table.

Jean's past LDN missions have included Peru, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali, Pakistan and others expeditions in South America, Africa and Asia.[11][12][13]

BLM[]

Stella Jean is the first and only Italian fashion designer to take to the stage at a BLM protest in June 2020 and to, in her own words, publicly denounce the existence of racial discrimination within the country of Italy.[14][15][16][17][18] [19][20][21][22][23]

We Are Made in Italy initiative[]

In 2021, the We Are Made In Italy (WAMI) was co-founded by Jean, Edward Buchanan and Michelle Francine Ngonmo.[24][25] For the first time in the history of Italian fashion, the National Chamber of Italian Fashion (CNMI) has set up a work group composed of professionals in the industry of African descent. It is currently an official work group of the Italian Fashion Council.

The inspiration for this initiate began in July 2020, with the above question posed by Stella Jean, the first and only Afro-descendent member of the Italian Fashion Chamber, regarding the lack of the presence of designers of African descent in Italian fashion. In the months that followed, which were intense with dialogue and discussion, a team was built, and with determination and strength, it has provided material for reflection, solutions and projects for the sector as well as for the social fabric of the country. The initiatives focus is to help create opportunities for minorities in the Italian fashion industry, as well as with developing programming to help foster equity and inclusion across the industry.[25]

Cultural influences[]

Stella Jean's designs reflect her Creole heritage, and she often works with Haitian and African artisans, incorporating their work into her fashions. Through her use of native craftspeople, she seeks to support struggling countries and communities and preserve their ancestral arts and traditions. She works with industry to generate commercial enterprise and self-sustaining local communities, focusing on women's empowerment.[26] She began her partnership with Ethical Fashion Initiative in 2013 when she extended her reach into a wider range of ethical produced items like bespoke Bogolan (mud-cloth) from Mali and jewelry from Haiti.[27] Stella Jean is a self-taught Italian-Haitian designer. Her desire is to make ethically sound clothes by helping the less advantaged women in the world. By doing so she will be able to create bold and colorful clothing inside and out. Her designs have been worn by celebrities like Rihanna and Beyoncé. She uses her mother's maiden name for her brand.[7]

Personal life[]

Jean is a mother of two, and resides in Rome with her children.

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. ^ "Stella Jean | #BoF500". The Business of Fashion. 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 "A Giant's Helping Hand". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  6. ^ Vanessa Friedman (24 February 2019). "No Sex, No Politics, No Risk". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d "Stella Jean | #BoF500". The Business of Fashion. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Stella Jean An Ethical Journey". Something About Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Touring Exhibition – The Glamour of Italian Fashion 1945 - 2014". www.vam.ac.uk. Victoria and Albert Museum. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Stella Jean RTW Spring 2020". Women's Wear Daily. 21 September 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Stella Jean Partners With FAO". Women's Wear Daily. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Viaggio in Pakistan per Stella Jean". Adnkronos. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  14. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/08/17/business/ap-eu-italy-fashion-racial-injustice.html
  15. ^ "Italian fashion brands urged to tackle racism". TheGuardian.com. 31 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Stella Jean Doesn't Feel Supported by Italian Fashion Chamber in #BLM Battle". 7 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Building Bridges to Diversity: Stella Jean / Fashion Designer - Direct Talk - TV | NHK WORLD-JAPAN Live & Programs".
  18. ^ "These 20 People Shaped Fashion in 2020". 21 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Stella Jean: Black-Lives-Matter-Botschafterin in der Mode".
  20. ^ "Milan Fashion Week is Getting a Racial Reckoning. Is It Enough?". 4 September 2020.
  21. ^ Borrelli, Silvia Sciorilli (September 2020). "Italian fashion grapples with diversity". Financial Times.
  22. ^ "Italy's Black Designers Shake up Milan Fashion Week". Forbes.
  23. ^ "The BoF Podcast: Stella Jean Asks 'Do Black Lives Matter in Italian Fashion?'". 27 August 2020.
  24. ^ "We Are Made in Italy Fall 2021 Initiative". Vogue. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Où en est la mode en matière de diversité ?". Madame Figaro (in French). 11 April 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  26. ^ "About Stella Jean". Stella Jean. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  27. ^ "Ethical Fashion Initiative | Partners | Stella Jean". ITC. Retrieved 25 March 2016.

External links[]

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