“I don’t design clothes. I design dreams.” —Ralph Lauren
Fashion is interwoven into Italian culture, matched only by Italy’s historical appreciation of art, literature, architecture, and more. In fact, Italy’s renowned fashion houses set the pace for worldwide trends each year and phrases like “alla moda,” meaning chic, stylish, or fashionable, are simply part of society.
That sense of familiarity with style and a long history of cultural sophistication have resulted in an expectation of timeless, yet modern fashions; ironically, that is exactly what most exhibitors ask Italian show clothes designer, Anna Omodeo of La Collezione di Anna, in their show wardrobes.
Anna, who has been wowing the show industry with her intricate and one-of-a-kind designs since 2011. While Anna (pictured here at the 2016 Las Vegas Silver Dollar Circuit) studied architecture and design in college in Italy, it was horses that led to her destiny.
“I think it was my love for the all-around classes that brought me to this profession. I grew up dreaming of the jackets I used to see in the arenas overseas. After graduating, I taught at the University for a couple of years while I was just designing outfits for myself in my spare time. At that time I understood what direction I should have taken. In the last four years, it became my full time job, and I’m happy every day for the choice I made.”
Read on for more of GoHorseShow’s one-on-one with Anna, as she reveals the elements that result in the Italian masterpieces seen in the show ring today:
GoHorseShow: What is the philosophy by which you run your business?
Anna: My philosophy is to give the client complete service, where everything is coordinated and her image becomes recognizable. This is why, if the customer asks me to, I can also coordinate the related products. For example, I have established a collaboration with Lori Heckaman (Golden West Show Pads) to create pads in coordination with my outfits. Her talent and good taste are a great match for my creations. I also work with Shorty’s Hattery to match colors and styles with the hat. Without a perfect hat, even the best outfit doesn’t have the same impact in the show grounds. I take care of preparing color samples and make arrangements so that everything is delivered on time. The customer doesn’t have to worry about the pad matching the outfit or the hat not arriving on time for the show; this kind of service can really make a difference.
GoHorseShow: ‘Made in Italy’ is a highly coveted term in the high fashion world. How does this translate to making horse show fashion?
Anna: Working in Italy gi
ves me the possibility to be close to the best craftsmen in the fashion industry. I share suppliers with some of the world-famous Italian fashion companies; material that I’ve already used in my outfits has been featured on “Milan Fashion Week.”
Last week I was shopping for leather and the owner of the warehouse was proud to show me the hides they are selecting for Ferrari and Lamborghini interiors. My employees had to learn a whole new world to work on horse show clothing but it was so easy for them already having great foundations. One of them had been creating wedding dresses for 15 years and the other one comes with five years experience in fashion school.
GoHorseShow: Where do you get the ideas for your designs?
Anna: Creating a design is something that comes from inside and a part of it is tied to the emotion that the customer generates in me. (Anna pictured here with long-time client, Cathrin Gutmann). It creates a bond between me, my client, her story and the design. I try to put this mix of information together with emotions of music, and in particular, with the songs I love. Once this connection is made, the ideas start to come easily. Usually I prepare three different proposals for an outfit so that my customer feels involved in the creative process. Creating a connection between an outfit and the person who is going to wear it is a very inspirational element.
Sometimes people come to me having an outfit in mind they like and they want me to create something similar. My answer is that most of the times what works for someone else might not work for you. You are unique and your outfit must tell a story that is only about you.
GoHorseShow: What kind of wait time can a customer expect? How much input does the customer have on the design or colors?
Anna: It is possible to check my agenda (schedule) online and see when the next spot is available. My production is limited to four pieces a month, two jackets, a horsemanship top and a vest. It would not be possible to do more than this and still give the kind of service I want to keep, and the schedule is usually busy. It gives me the time to create a connection with the customer and also the time to order special materials.
I ask my customers for three photos of the body (front, back and side) and one of the face, one photo of the horse, what are the classes they are going to show in, their level of skill, and if there are aspects of their performance they want to emphasize or hide; for example, if the shoulders are not perfectly squared, I will not make them very relevant in a horsemanship top design. Trainer input and collaboration is very important here, and I ask my customers to involve the trainer in the process.
I also ask their color preferences and what equipment they already have and want to coordinate, such as hat, chaps and saddle pad. I also ask them to describe themselves and to define their personality and style preferences. Communication is the tool that makes me try to figure out my customer’s preferences and create the perfect design for her.
Once I have everything figured out I prepare three design sketches (they are actually vector graphic images that can give a really realistic idea on how the design is going to look like once completed) and the customer can choose one of those, or give me an indication on the way to go to prepare three more designs for her consideration.
Most of my custome
rs come back to me for a second or at third outfit, and it is really satisfying to see that the more we get to know each other the more I can understand new details that allow me to create more original designs for them.
GoHorseShow: Is it challenging to design for clients who are thousands of miles away?
Anna: I work from Italy but the internet is great technology that shortens distances. Taking measurements in video conference is like being there with my customer, and I can keep customers updated by sending real time pictures of their work in progress so they can feel included in every step of the project. I also follow many of my customers on social media; it’s amazing for me every time I see them posting a photo wearing one of my outfits. Additionally, I travel to some of the shows in the United States and I enjoy meeting my clients in person.
GoHorseShow: Please tell us more about living and working in Italy.
Anna: I live in Oderzo, a beautiful historical town near Venice. Oderzo was a very important city in the Roman Empire. My atelier (workshop) is in an old villa with a big garden; the view through the stained glass is breathtaking. The interior furniture is in retro style but I have all the top machines required for my work. Where possible the stones are applied with an ultrasound machine (the fix is more powerful, it is also ecological and healthier since it reduces the use of glues). The leather is cut by a cut plotter so I can prepare the design on scale and the cut is seamless. Also the sew-on stones and the stone settings are machine sewed. Other aspects of my work are instead rigorously handmade such as the preparation of the paper model (every customer has her own because we don’t work by “size”, since everyone is different), the use of the airbrush and the sewing of all the applications.
GoHorseShow: You are a very accomplished showman. Please tell us more about your life with horses.
Anna: I’ve been riding quarter horses since I was 13 years old. My big love is western pleasure, but I also show in trail and showmanship, and my next goal is western riding. I own a six year-old gelding named Biggy (Asset Machine, by A Good Machine) that I ride every day. I show in the European circuit with good results. My trainer is Mark Shaffer (pictured here), who helps us at every show with great professionalism and patience.
I could not imagine my life without horses, and I am very lucky because I share this passion with my husband Andrea (he has a 3 years old reining prospect named Murdock) and my daughters, Aurora and Alice. They are still little but they love to be around horses and are starting to learn how to interact with them. The older one, Aurora, has been riding for three years and I hope her desire is to continue on this path. As a parent, I do not only wish this because I love the horse world, but also because my experience tells me that loving this sport means to learn the importance of dedication, hard work and respect.
You can find out more information about Anna’s gorgeous custom-designed horse show clothing made in Italy at www.lacollezionedianna.com, or find La Collezione Di Anna on Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter and Pinterest, or view her ad in the latest issue of Go Mag.
