Face to Face with Maria Buccellati, Global Brand Developer for Faith Connexion
Creative consultant involved in the global fashion industry since 1985.
Maria Buccellati
When Maria Buccellati, Global Brand Developer from Faith Connexion, confirmed the interview for our Paraiso Instagram Live, we knew Mrs. Parsons was the perfect moderator to take over. Turns out that we couldn’t be more right. As soon as the conversation started, we realized that we brought together a student, a mentor, and a history that went right to the beginning. Charlene Parsons, Director of Fashion Department at Miami International University of Art and Design still remembers the first days of school when Maria was starting her career as a fashion designer. “Many, many years ago when you joined the school, I remember saying to you, Maria you should really be a model”
Just like that, Maria followed the advice of Mrs. Parsons and began her modeling career, working with the top names in the fashion industry, from Norma Kamali to Karl Lagerfeld, all over the world. Maria is, to this day, thankful for Mrs. Parsons’ support, direction, the encouragement, and vision to pursue a career that opened the doors to a new world in the fashion industry.
Later on, and based in Milan, Maria continued with her passion for design and started working on her first swimwear line. That evolved to cashmere and luxury beachwear. In 2010, she joined the high fashion brand, Faith Connexion as Global Brand Developer. While staying at her daughter’s house in Connecticut, Maria reflected on her career and some new projects she is working on.
CP: After many years of modeling around the world, when did you decide you wanted to launch your first collection?
MB: I was already living in Milan with my kids when my partner and I decided to start working on a swimwear collection from my living room. It was a really interesting project that then brought me back to Miami. As a Cuban, born and raised in Florida, I knew a lot of people who helped me launch the brand. I was able to do my first fashion show, which then got me to stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. I believe everything in life, in order to succeed, has to come from a place of love and passion. Who cares about Milan, Paris or New York? You can launch anything, anywhere you like and be successful worldwide. You have to believe in it, and it will get you through the door. It’s important not to just focus on the business and commercial side but keep a creative mindset, in every project to do things in a more disruptive way.
Faith Connexion
RTW Spring 2020
CP: How did you start working with Faith Connexion?
MB: In 2010, I was asked to go and help a group of people that I knew really well and together we built Faith Connexion from scratch. It was really challenging to develop an entire luxury brand. We had to go knocking on doors, doing things differently with a lot of personal contact, persistence, and dedication. Later on, we had the chance to hire designers from Balmain, who helped us take the brand to another level, and we were able to take FC from 3 to 15 million.
CP: How has the business fluctuated during the COVID-19 pandemic?
MB: Today we are going through a very difficult time. We had to change drastically and reduce our team and supplies. We even sold our Fall/Winter collections that we are still not been able to produce because all the manufactures are closed. The next steps will be to concentrate on a very focused collection to adjust cost and production. People are not going to be spending money, if they spend on one item it will have to be unique. We are thinking of working with our fabric stocks, that are very valuable, we will try to make something special that customers love.
CP: Do you see any permanent changes to Faith Connexion’s concept with the coming on the other end of this?
MB: There’s always going to be desire for luxury, but is not going to be the same way as before. Designers will also have to focus on a collection that works for the new era. Less is best in this case. The next step will be to concentrate and reduce, it’s not worth doing a collection of 150 pieces and only having 20 bestsellers.
CP: What is next for Maria Buccellati? Are you working on other projects as well?
MB: Four months ago, I started CXN with a tech group and a team that used to work at Moda Operandi. They put together CXN Fashion and asked me to join them as a brand ambassador. CXN is a virtual Showroom, where retailers connect and engage with collection from anywhere. A complete Digital solution for brands and designer showrooms to amplify their retail business with a curated, human experience that is both efficient and emotional. This is really the future of fashion as it gives retailers the possibility to purchase with a true showroom appointment experience or directly from the runway presentation.
Faith Connexion RTW Spring 2020
SAINt JHN wearing Faith Connexion with Lenny Kravitz
