For the first installment of our new Industry Insider series, we spoke with Alyssa Carnazza – a young, bright fashion designer based out of New Jersey. Alyssa started her company after graduating from college, where she was an active member of a fashion for philanthropy club. Each piece she designs is made to order, and sewn by hand in New Jersey. You can view pieces available for sale in her online shop. Browsing her collections online, it’s evident that her unique style grows and evolves with each season…read below for more on what makes Alyssa tick.
| What inspires you? |
“The number one thing that inspires me is my mother, whose creativity is on another level. She always told me that she doesn’t create to get a certain reaction out of people. To her it has always been about passion and a mind that works in a mysterious yet beautiful way. My mother can walk into a cocktail party held at a friends house and rather than grab her first drink, she’d explore and picture how she would decorate the house for Christmas.”
| What does a day-in-the-life of Alyssa Carnazza look like? |
“My days are filled with finding the right fabrics. A lot of what I design is loud and boisterous, so finding fabrics that match my vision is difficult at times, especially when you raid your local fabric stores every week as I do. If I’m not fabric shopping, I’m creating something, anything, just to keep the creative flow going. I’ve found that once you slow down, it is much harder to get the machine started again.”
| What is the most important thing you have learned over the course of starting / running your own business? |
“Foundation; a great support team. I am extremely lucky to have my family behind me. It is very easy to fall victim to your own fears and insecurities, especially when you are putting your work out there for people to criticize. It is hugely important to have those people who will tell you how it is, but never, ever, want to see you give up.”
| What advice would you give someone who wanted to break into the business? |
“Lack of passion is fatal. You truly have to love what you do, because if you don’t, work will always be work. Steve Jobs said “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Now I can only hope I can create something equivalent to the greatness of the iPod, but in the fashion world…”
Thanks Alyssa, for sharing an inside look with us. Be sure to check back soon for more Industry Insider postings!
All photos courtesy of: www.iamcarnazza.com