Brand Spotlight : LD Luisa Diacono Design

   

   When
did you first start to get interested in fashion and interior design ?

    When I was
a child. My interest in interior design started with my doll’s house, I would
spend hours playing and changing the layout of the house and building furniture
for it from scraps that I found lying around. I would observe features in homes
of family and replicate them in my dolls house. I was so proud of this house
and I would keep it very tidy and clean it regularly. I think I honestly
thought it was my own little house. What I loved about it is that it was
different from all of my friends as it was a Sindy house which I had inherited
from my older cousins. All my friends had Barbie houses which were all pink,
and I remember thinking how can you have a house? It just didn’t make
sense to me.

   
     With
regards to fashion I would also say when I was a child too. My mother would
always dress me up, making sure that everything matched perfectly. I always
looked up to my mother and the way she had a knack of making something ordinary
look a million dollars. As I grew older I loved to dress up and I also began to
project my style onto my dolls. I would sew clothes with scraps of fabric, I
would get pins with different coloured heads and pierce my doll’s ears and I
would thread beads and make them jewellery.

When did you actually
start ?

     I started
in November 2011

What excites you most,
interiors or fashion ?

  

     Interior-That every project is different, that I’m meeting new  people and
facing new challenges and that each one tells a different story. I love getting
to know the needs and wants of a client and designing a space that they feel
comfortable in. I also love seeing all the amazing things that are available on
the market and observing the different trends and styles. Having said that I
love antiques and timeless elegance in a home, as a matter of fact I think my
all time favourite look is a nice mix of old and new.

      Fashion- Accessories, I am a firm believer in
accessories I think it is through how one accessorizes that you can add your
personal touch to an outfit. In particular I love jewellery and if I had to
narrow it down it would be rings. I love chunky jewellery, nice statement
pieces as I really think that they make an outfit. I love the playfulness of
fashion, when dressing I feel like I’m putting a composition together. I also
like to look at things differently…It’s not the first time that I bought
something and took it to my seamstress and have her change something in it. A
few months ago I had a wedding and found a dress that I liked the basic shape
of and fabric but I was scared that I might see like it, so I had the sleeves
totally changed, from the extra fabric I created a waist belt and I also
lowered the neckline…some people thought I was mad but that challenge was
part of the fun for me. I also bought a pair of cork wedges once and hand painted
flowers on the wedge to make them different. I just like to have fun with it.

   Tell
us something about your scarf collections ?

     My scarf
collections have been a great start for me, and I have enjoyed seeing how the
work, style and quality has evolved over the last few collections. From hand
painting to beading and then working with different fabric has all been very
exciting for me. The challenge is that every scarf is unique, ie I only make
one of each to keep them exclusive so that requires a lot of hard and
creativity. Whilst working on one I am already thinking of what I am going to
do for the next. Something which I really enjoy, is seeing different women
finding ‘their scarf.’

Which is your all
time favourite fashion piece that you have created ?

     I’d
probably have to say a charcoal grey scarf that I had embellished with chains
and beads. I had gone with a friend to the opening of Malta design week and I
had already started making scarves. We had agreed to go in the morning, so I
made this scarf and a pair of earrings that same day to wear in the evening. At
the time no one knew that I was making and going to start selling scarves, as I hadn’t yet launched, but I got loads of compliments for it. The hard part was
telling them that I made it, I was new to all of this and felt shy. Thankfully
I had my friend who was promoting me. That scarf was also what got me
recognized by camilleriparismode, who asked me to sell scarves from their shop.
After the great success of the first collection they asked me to design a
collection for them using their fabrics. That’s when we came up with ‘LD for
camilleriparismode’. So, yes I guess that scarf will always be special to me as
a matter of fact I kept it and did not sell it.

From where do you draw
on for inspiration and are ther are any other designers that inspire you?

     I’m always
looking at and observing my daily surroundings and I think it’s from there I
get inspiration and having the ability to look at ordinary things and see them
differently. Travelling helps a lot as your state of mind is different and the
change of culture and scene helps a lot, I wish I could do more of it. Because
I do not stick to one line of design, I draw inspiration from one which
inspires me for the other. For instance I might see a tile which would trigger
off an idea for the fashion line. I love colour and texture and combining them
in different ways. With regards to designers my all time favourite with re to
fashion has to be channel, not just for the designs but her design philosophies
and the revolution that she brought to the fashion world. I also love Ellie
Saab, his fabric and designs are stunning, so chic, elegant and
feminine.  With re to interiors I would have to narrow it down to Kelly
Hoppen.

What was your proudest
career moment ?

     When I
first created my Facebook page and started selling scarves. I would upload a
photo and within minutes sell it, it was a great start to my career and very
encouraging. It is still relatively new to me so I look forward to many more
special moments.

 What can we look
forward to in 2013 ?

   I am currently
working on an all new project/business venture with a friend of mine. We have
partnered to combine both our expertise and lines of work to create something
totally different to anything we have done so far. I am very excited as I love
a challenge! We are currently working on setting it up and we’ll be launching
it in the coming months.

 

Caro
 xxx