A clothier, designer, writer, visual artist, puppet-maker and actress with a recent stint in the new Noah Baumbach film, “Greenberg,” Desira is a modern day Renaissance woman. Growing up with bikers as parents where the occasional vacation involved moose watching, Desira talks about how her unconventional background affects her artwork giving it originality. Despite the pressure to compromise in order to build a successful business, you won’t find her designs at your nearest Forever-21.
Age? 27
Places you have lived in? Scranton (PA), Syracuse (NY), Florence (Italy), Brooklyn (NY)
Places you would like to live in? Barcelona, Spain, somewhere in Scandinavia, Paris, France, London, and Bologna, Italy
What do you do? Fashion designer/seamstress & actress
I read on your blog that you had two bikers for parents. Growing up, how did your life differ growing up from other kids’ lives?
Well, I was an oddball only because of the schools I went to, which were Catholic and Jesuit prep schools where most children had parents that were doctors, lawyers, or business owners, who relished in expensive possessions. We had a truck, backhoe, dump truck and tractor; and went moose watching in the woods of New Hampshire for vacation and car shows for entertainment. There were very few students in my school who could draw or play an instrument. I always felt weird and misunderstood and in turn they also made me feel different. There was no cultural diversity, which really bothered me and there was also a heavy feeling of elitism. If you weren’t from a successful family, you were shit. My parents have been wonderful in terms of allowing my sister and I to develop our own sense of self and this in turn has allowed us to pursue anything we wanted. I really couldn’t stand Pennsylvania and was able to become someone else when I left.
Growing up working on a farm, do you feel you miss that in New York? Do you feel you have to leave the city to get some nature?
Yes and no. I do miss having unadulterated space to explore and not have to leave at dusk, yet there’s plenty here to satiate me. Prospect Park is incredible and mimics being in unguarded nature. I do crave running around blanketed by human silence; and I also love going on long drives, which I cannot do here, yet at this point in my life, I am where I want to be. What I miss more than fresh air is kindness. New Yorkers are so quick to be defensive and insulting and the insistence on “me me me” is sometimes too much. There is no patience, no brotherly love. When I am almost hit by a speeding belligerent driver while riding my bike, it’s more common to hear, “FUCK YOU!!” rather then “Are you alright? Sorry!” That shit gets really grating.
Do you think the fashion industry keeps coming up with original ideas or is there a lot of fluff out there? How does a designer stand out?
Just as in the fine art work, there’s a lot of regurgitation and reiteration and still there’s a tremendous amount of ingenuity and novelty. The change of materials available and technology aids a new look as humanity grows and bends. I think that there is often a recurrence of styles and shapes, yet in a postmodern way. Then again, there is also blatant copying and I think independent designers are often the victims of that. Designers stand out in a number of different ways –quality, ostentation, novelty, politics, ethics, technology, high art…. It really depends on who is watching.
How did you learn how to design clothes? Was it valuable or important for you to train or apprentice with another designer?
Self-taught hard work, a tad of experience freelancing for Burdastyle.com, and a puppet maker for Broadway and the Macy’s parades, and lots and lots and lots of practice. I seriously sew and design 75 hours a week.
I have noticed that you are often the model of your clothes on your website, is it by choice or would you rather work with models?
I like both. I started modeling for myself because when I started sewing, I made things to fit me. I therefore would look best in them. As time went on, I think I continued this out of convenience, rather than trying to summon someone to come model for a few hours. Even still, I love having models. It allows me a lot more control over the look and feel of the shot, as opposed to being both in front and behind the camera (I often do my own photography with a tripod).
Are your designs meant for people of different shapes and sizes? Do you think every designer should include such designs in their collection?
For the most part, yes. I have made every size of clothing over the years. I think some designs work better for certain body types naturally, as some people look better in some things than other. That goes for both tiny and voluptuous bodies. I hope that my clothing attracts a large audience and is enjoyed and worn proudly for its distinctiveness.
The idea of skinny in fashion has been going on for a long time but recently people seem to think it has become out of control to the point of excessive photo shopping or firing models for gaining 5 pounds. It’s really disgusting how thin women have gotten in the fashion and entertainment industries. I have worked behind the scenes for a few real fashion shows and have had to dress models and it literally made me ill. They are walking corpses. I am pretty thin and I looked overweight compared to these people. That in turn, really alienates most of the population. Women are mind-fucked by the obsession of being svelte, tall, and white from the day they reach self-consciousness until they die. Would I compromise my ideals for success? (more…)
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