Marthas Vineyard Designers

Aquazzura

Born in Colombia and raised between Miami and London, Edgardo Osorio combines his eye for dropdead glamour, his passion for modern design, and his hand for highluxe craft into desirable footwear. After attending the London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins, he made his first strides in the footwear world with the most prestigious luxury brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Sigerson Morrison, René Caovilla and lately with Roberto Cavalli, as well as more high street labels. In 2011 after working in the industry for 10 years, he launches Aquazzura. Aquazzura is a luxury footwear brand created in Florence by designer Edgardo Osorio. Addressing a void in the market for sophisticated luxurious shoes at a competitive luxury price, Edgardo wanted to create stylish yet wearable footwear for women of all ages. Aquazzura mixes a refined European aesthetic, with modern American sensibility and Latin flair. Edgardo’s studio is situated in Palazzo Buondelmonti in the heart of Florence and near the best shoemakers and craftspeople in the world. He draws his inspiration from the European tradition of high craft and luxury while creating modern and sexy shoes.Created for strong women with unique personal style. A Woman that loves to travel and to have fun. A new Jet setter that likes to mix cultures and styles.

Bounkit

Hassan Bounkit, a native of Morocco, began his career studying fashion design in Florence, Italy. After finishing his studies, he worked for couture houses Ferragamo and Marella Ferrera. In 1989, he moved to New York and worked for Nicole Miller and Arnold Scaasi, among others. Always drawn to jewelry, Bounkit launched his own extensive line in 2006. Both elegant and exotic with vibrant color combinations and unusual settings, Hassan attributes his style to his Mediterranean background, ancient Moroccan design and a deep love of nature. He deftly mixes sunset hues with woods, turquoise with jeweled rondells, and crystal beads with organically cut colored stones. Many of his bold stone bracelets, necklaces and earrings feature sensationally gigantic stones making them power pieces paying homage to those power cuffs worn by the stars of the 1940’s. They are the perfect blending of modern architectural jewelry with a splash of Art Deco boldness. The collections instantly caught the attention of fashion editors and celebrities including; Oprah, Iman, Liv Tyler, Salma Hayek, Nina Garcia, Natasha Henstridge, and Lily Collins. Bounkit’s pieces have been featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Allure, Gotham, Essence, Glamour, Town & Country, InStyle, Conde Nast Traveler, Departures, Domino, O Magazine in addition to NBC’S “The Today Show”, “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, “Lipstick Jungle”, and “Gossip Girl”. He creates three complete collections each year in his New York City atelier where the jewelry is made to his specifications and all by hand.

Marie France Van Damme

Born in Montreal Canada, Marie France Van Damme, pioneered the Orient in the early 1980's when she relocated to Hong Kong to start her manufacturing company specializing in women’s wear. Throughout her years of travel, Marie France identified a niche in the market for a chic, stylish and complete resort wear collection. Therefore, incorporating her knowledge and experience garnered from designing and producing private label for top retailers in Europe, and inspired by her vivacious and cosmopolitan lifestyle, she decided to mount such a collection dedicated to other savvy and sophisticated women with a sense of style. The Marie France Van Damme resort wear collection waxes nostalgic and modern at the same time, the essence of which is a lightness of touch, a sense of enjoyment and simplicity. The collection is defined by a fluid neutral palette ranging from metallic bronze to gunmetal, silver to gold, beautiful prints and solids in fabrics such as diaphanous silk chiffon and luscious silk sateen, to a weightless jersey. Signature pieces include an ankle length Babani cover up hemmed in Swarovski beads to give you a chic ethereal look; a form-fitting playsuit captures a trip back to the glamorous 70s; and a bevy of breezy sheer caftans to wear over complimentary bikinis. This versatile and multifaceted collection strikes a balance between day and night, transitioning from an afternoon at the beach to an evening out. In its entirety, the collection covers every occasion from the beginning to the end of a sizzling vacation, and more; both urbane and urban. “This is a women friendly collection with equal emphasis on quality and design,” according to MFVD. “Ease is an important theme, the pieces can be mixed and matched effortlessly, an infinity of options to reflect your own personal style and attitude; there is no right or wrong way, only your way.” MFVD’s work is a master class in the art of dressing with a “wear anywhere” appeal.

A Peace Treaty

Born in 2008, as a personal pact between Farah Malik, a Pakistani Muslim, and Dana Arbib, a Libyan Jew, A PEACE TREATY creates employment for skilled artisans working in places of socio-political strife, effectively supporting their technique and craft while elevating their products to the level of high design for an exclusive and international fashion audience. Inspired by the hand-crafting cultures of the Middle East, Asia, South America and Africa, A PEACE TREATY was conceived when Arbib and Malik met while living in Rome. The two discovered that they shared both a love of high fashion and a desire to increase awareness of ancient, disappearing crafting traditions. Intermingling Arbib’s strong background in graphic, textile and product design with Malik’s history of developing multimedia marketing campaigns for social justice and human rights, they set about connecting discerning fashion connoisseurs with cache, boutique level artifacts from places typically seen only negatively through the media lens. Each season, A PEACE TREATY travels to a particular region and seeks out local village artisans to re-define an accessory, designing limited edition pieces in style unique colorways. Each jewelry or scarf collection resuscitates ancient handmade textile and metalsmithing techniques that are at risk of extinction. Working with craftspeople in eight countries and injecting life and trade back into local economies, A PEACE TREATY employs artisans with above fair trade wages and invests in creating income generation opportunities for out-of-work artisans, disabled and widowed women.

Fleabags

Shira Entis, a fashion designer and lover of all things tiny and over-sized, and Alex Bell, a lawyer and seeker of adventures, have been fleamarket addicts since they met at Brown University. Frustrated by the inconvenience and environmental hazard of accumulating plastic bags while marketing, they craved a convenient and fashion-hot tote that could fit all of their wares. Fleabags are designed as their ideal solution - dapper, large, lightweight and sturdy carry-alls - that are also eco-minded. Fleabags strives to create products that are as green as possible while maintaining high quality and covetable design. Fleabags are made with organic and vintage materials, vegetable-tanned and re-purposed leathers, and other parts all sourced in the USA. All silkscreens use water-based ink. Fleabags are made in the USA with good old-fashioned sewing. Fleabags are locally made, in Limited Edition, by hand, in small production runs.

Yigal Azrouël

Israeli-born Yigal Azrouël’s namesake label, introduced in 1998, is beloved for its modern silhouettes and fluid, feminine draping. The self-taught designer, who doesn’t subscribe to trends, draws inspiration from art, architecture, culture, nature and the city he now calls home—New York. With the success of his women’s line, including a flagship NYC boutique, Azrouël has gone on to create men’s, accessories and contemporary collections.

Valdez

With a purpose of preserving the Ecuadorian culture of the Panama hat, all Valdez accessories are made with a sustainable conscience. By working directly with artisans in Ecuador the brand aims to strengthen the appreciation for products that are handmade and socially responsible.  Established in 2011 by Gabriela Goldbaum, Valdez sources locally manufactured textiles with traditional Ecuadorian patterns, toquilla straw, tagua beads and felt from the Andes.