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Designer Bios
Hoss Intropia
Hoss Intropia is a brand with a heart. It began in
Madrid,
Spain in 1994 with a team of all women designers managed by Paloma Vasquez de Castro who is the ex-costume designer for the National Ballet of
Spain. The word Intropia is not found in dictionaries but is the union of two words, interior and utopia, which together makes up a philosophy not only of fashion but of life.
Every season, inspiration embraces a rich framework of references, from ethnic details to “retro” influences. A broad array of colors, patterns, prints, and trims and an ample assortment of garments and accessories for dressing from day to evening. Traditional embroideries and fabrics experience a “turn of the screw” until becoming sophisticated creations. Designs are clearly based on a free, creative concept, far from the fleeting trends of fashion, reflecting a society which is free of constraints and where almost everything is allowed.
Hoss believes in an “anything goes” approach to styling- mixing and matching in a fresh and free way. A maharajah’s bold fuchsia, pinks and burnt oranges; eastern European jacquards; luscious prints referenced in
Kenya and
Mozambique.
Hoss is the expression of every woman’s freedom of choice; to be herself without the imposing rigidities of trends, colors or fleeting styles. Hoss is now immersed in finding a more global solidarity cause- something which we believe will portray our values, which in essence is to find your own Utopia.
Hoss designer Paloma Vasquez de Castro writes, "The starting point for this (Spring 2008) collection is the experience of independent women accustomed to travel, who are familiar with and admire multiple cultures, and capture infinite details during their voyages around the world." It sounds like Hoss is right in line with Cerulean's philosophies on life, travel and bringing a world of style to our doorsteps!
Bow and Arrow
Bow and Arrow, the brand new line by
Los Angeles designer Alan Del Rosario, is a fun and flirty line answering the age-old question “What am I going to wear?!” Del Rosario has translated the appeal of his celebrated luxurious eveningwear collection into clothing for the everyday woman
 who demands style wherever she’s going. Bow & Arrow was founded on the desire to translate that same glamour and excitement from eveningwear into a chic, affordable collection that will take a woman’s wardrobe from day to evening.
Originally from the
Philippines (where he was a civil engineer, of all things), Del Rosario brings a unique vision to his designs, which emerge as an eclectic mix of European, Western and Asian aesthetics. He has been
California’s “Designer of the Year” and GenArtLA’s “Fresh Face”, both prestigious awards for emerging designers.
Image at right: Del Rosario after showing his evening collection at LA Mercedes Benz Fashion Week
Susan Hanover
After giving up her career as an attorney, this mother of three transformed her lifelong passions for design and fashion into a burgeoning business. In the summer of 2005, Susan Hanover launched her first collection of designer jewelry and the response was tremendous. Henri Bendel,
New York, introduced her as a new designer and immediately her collection was in demand. Other select stores and specialty chains followed suit. Now into her second year, Susan has made a noticeable place for herself in the accessories market.
Originally from
South Africa, Susan is clearly inspired by the colors and textures of her native landscape. Having grown up surrounded by so much natural beauty, Susan is drawn to earthy, faceted semi-precious stones such as citrine, smokey quartz and topaz. Still, stones are just the backdrop of her work. Having studied art for many years, Susan’s collections center around her love for design. She views her work simply as “a subtle balance between the design and the stones so that one does not overcome the other and a symbiosis is formed.” Susan’s designs continue to evolve with each season, yet she remains true to her original form that makes her line so distinctive. Her stone wired bracelets have become signature pieces and are in huge demand both in the
US and abroad.
The pieces have been cited or featured in a number of publications including InStyle, Vogue, and many more. The line, which is sold in a number of museums throughout the country, was also featured in Museums of New York. Beyoncé recently purchased some Spring pieces and Paula Abdul, has worn pieces on the red carpet. Susan's bracelets have also been worn by Kelly Ripa on the Regis and Kelly Show and recently by Paula Abdul on the The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Susan’s designs are all handcrafted in the
USA with either 14 karat gold-filled or gold-plated materials and semi-precious stones.
Virginia Johnson
Philosophy and Process
Virginia Johnson finds inspiration in her travels and in the nature close
 to her native
Toronto. Recent trips to
New Zealand,
India,
Mexico and
France have influenced her clothing and textile designs, resulting in an aesthetic that draws upon many cultures, crafts and time periods. Forays into nature also inspire her, providing vivid imagery of rain-drops, pebbles, birds, water, trees, flowers and animals. These organic patterns and shapes are recorded in her sketchbook and emerge sometimes unexpectedly in her textile designs.
Virginia creates her textiles using watercolour paints on paper. She cherishes this simple, straight-forward process for its meditative and solitary properties, and for the satisfaction she gets from working with her hands.
Biography
Virginia Johnson is a Canadian clothing/textile designer and illustrator. She studied at Parsons School of Design before designing shoes and bags for Helmut Lang. She left the company in 2000 to pursue her work in textiles and illustration, and to work on her own clothing line. Her first collection was introduced in spring/summer 2002, and her home collection in fall 2006. Her line is currently available in more than 100 stores worldwide, including: Barneys New York, kate spade and Ron Herman. In 2004 she illustrated 3 books for kate spade: Occasions, Style and Manners, and she continues to illustrate for various clients.
Tom's Shoes
 TOMS was born in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie out of a commitment to produce stylish, comfortable, and practical footwear while improving the lives of children around the world. Every pair sold is personally matched with a donated pair to a child in need. TOMS collection is inspired by Alpargatas, the trusted utility shoe of Argentine workers. “I was overwhelmed by the spirit of the South American people, especially those who had so little,” Mycoskie says. “And I was instantly struck with the desire – the responsibility – to do more.” The shoes are composed of high quality, durable materials including lightweight, breathable canvas, resilient soles and soft leather in soles for maximum comfort.TOMS functions under the credo of No Sweatshops and all of the materials and products are produced and manufactured in
Argentina under the strictest guidelines, ensuring both fair labor practices and minimal impact on the environment.
About Blake Mycoskie
After years of successful entrepreneurial endeavors, Blake Mycoskie put his life on hold and took a well deserved extended vacation. First stop,
South America.
Brazil, Uraguay and finally
Argentina in January 2006, Mycoskie quickly immersed himself into the Argentine culture; he learned to sail, tango and play competitive polo. He unquestionably felt at home in the foreign land, invigorated and inspired.However,
 Mycoskie quickly became aware of the difficulties of the impoverished people in
Argentina. He was challenged emotionally as he visited villages without fresh water and where few, if any, of the children had shoes. The lack of basic needs contributed to many health issues, infections, and in the most extreme circumstances, even death. “Inspired by a traditional Argentine shoe and challenged by continent’s poverty and heath issues, I created TOMS with a singular mission: To make life more comfortable,” says Mycoskie. TOMS accomplishes this through a unique shoe and Mycoskie’s commitment to match every pair purchased with a pair to a child in need…no complicated formulas, it’s simple…you buy a pair of TOMS and TOMS gives a pair to a child on your behalf.
Matta
 Founder and designer of Matta, Cristina Gitti has always been inspired by the numerous possibilities of handmade design. Her textile and clothing ventures, first Malatesta, and now Matta have been based on the central theme of limitless forms of indvidually made creations. After studying design at the Istituto d'Arte and Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan, Cristina realized that, she had something to say, and design was her way to express it. “What I loved most was the freedom I felt…I would ‘personalize’ everything around me to fit me better, starting with my meals and the space I was living in, to my clothes and accessories.”
While studying in Milan, Cristina worked with many talented designers, architects and artists, such as Ugo la Pietra, Paolo Nava, Rodolfo Arico' to name a few. Her first studio in Milan was a laboratory where she built sets for fashion shows and window displays for cutting edge stores such as Alessi, Mandarina Duck and Diesel. All sets were handmade using techniques and materials, ranging from paper mache' to metals and recycled cardboards. At the same time, Cristina was teaching at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan in a workshop called “ready-made”, where students would learn to recycle materials to produce something new. Her need to explore grew and in 1994 Cristina moved to New York. In 1995, Cristina began her travels to India.
Her first successful U.S. venture was with the women’s accessories & clothing company, Malatesta in 1997. As co-owner and head designer, Cristina drew inspirations for design from her various journeys to India, Italy, Mexico & Japan. She was one of the first to introduce pashmina and her signature ‘sarong in a bag’ to the U.S. market.
In 2003, Cristina founded Matta. It was with Matta that she combined classic styles, age old techniques and a modern color palate to convey her explorations. Cristina focused on the story each item had to tell and how it changes with each person. These one-of-a-kind pieces are produced using traditional practices from India, including, but not limited to, block printing, silk screening, handpainting, dyeing and intricate hand embroidery.
The Matta ready-to-wear collection includes lightweight cottons, wools and silks, which are tailored to create shirts, tunics, skirts, and dresses for women. Rich textiles and fresh tones are further developed into cashmere, wool and silk shawls, scarves, home accessories and children’s clothing. Cristina continues the collection by creating hand stitched leather sandals, handbags, recycled paper products and more.
Cristina lives with her husband Matteo Bologna, and her two year old daughter Olivia in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
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