On Friday, February 11th I had the pleasure of attending the IMPROVD store opening in the Meatpacking District. 819 Washington Street to be exact. Before I could even look at the clothes on the cool industrial hanging displays, my eyes were immediately drawn upwards to the interactive projections/holograms of models wearing the IMPROVD clothing. Of course I kept testing the holograms to see if they could actually interact with me, and they could! After a few minutes of messing with holograms, I began to browse the AW11 Collection and was then ready for some real-human interaction.
I caught up with one of the two designers of IMPROVD, Valentino Vettori (Sam Ben-Avraham is Vettori’s partner) for an exclusive GlobalGrind interview. Vettori explained to us the genius behind the IMPROVD collection. He explained that IMPROVD is centered on providing affordable couture to it’s customers….yes that’s right, I said AFFORDABLE COUTURE. Each piece is a basic with a twist of avant-garde genius. As I browsed the raw structures, I couldn’t stop thinking “I want that, and I can actually afford that!”
Vetorri explained that the idea for him was simple and came naturally, everyone should be able to express themselves through high fashion, and as a designer, couture pieces can be made available at a contemporary price-point without sacrificing quality: “It is easy to make expensive clothing at an affordable price point. Once you find the most amazing fabric, and the most amazing factory it can be done. We have an office in India and have to teach them about our techniques. IMPROVD has no side seams and everything is sewn in the back.” Vetorri explained.
I then asked Vetorri who the ideal IMPROVD woman is and he explained, “the ideal IMPROVD woman is someone who is starting out their professional life. At age 25 you are an independent woman starting your career. IMPROVD designs are for ambitious, sophisticated woman ages 25-55 years old”. The versatility of each piece was unbelievable and each piece could be integrated seamlessly into any wardrobe. “You have no idea how many times I sketch and tear up a design because it is beautiful but not wearable” Vetorri said. IMPROVD always has the customer in mind. Vetorri’s advice to other aspiring designers is to “Put aside your ego. There is a difference between being an artist and an entrepreneur. Being an artist means designing one piece that you can hang on the wall, and being an entrepreneur is designing a piece that everyone can wear.” Vetorri lives by this when creating one-of-a-kind designs for the IMPROVD collection.
Before I left, I just had to ask: What to wear for Valentine’s Day, HELP! Vetorri answered:
“What is sexy to me is beautiful slouchy pants that line your body with a nice heel. I like more intellectually beautiful than a mini mini dress”
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