What are you working on right now?
Right now I have just completed my newest collection, Underground Love Story, a dark and romantic line of clothing inspired by my personal vintage collection. I also run a booth at the Brooklyn Flea Market called NiLeA P FleA. It is a fantastic little booth filled with treasures that I have collected, old lingerie, reconstructed vintage, leather goods, and tons of shoes. I am heading to my favorite market in Argentina this month to buy more goodies for my holiday shoppers. Designing, traveling, and blogging — that has been my life lately.
What drives you to create?
I am obsessed with fantastically-designed items that are no longer available in mass quantities. I have been a vintage collector for well over 10 years now. Recreating snippets of my wardrobe that are relevant to fashion at present is like offering a peek into my treasure chest. The idea is to change some things and preserve others. Some items are merely inspiration for the creation of something new, reconstruction or updated details. Others will be replicas of items permanently worthy of applause. Clothing is about expressions... of who you are, where you have been, and what you love. It is a performance of how you feel, played before the world set as your stage. I'm a hopeless romantic. I live my life with my head jammed in the clouds and I create clothing for those who do too.