Lindsay Marie Morris

You could say that design runs in Sicilian-born milliner Roberta Cucuzza's blood. The bespoke hatmaker's great-grandmother, Maria Bellini, a Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli contemporary, opened a fashion atelier in Catania in the 1920s and passed her passion onto her family. 

Roberta has fond memories of sewing with her grandmother, which serve as touchstones on her career path. The London-based designer takes hat commissions as she works toward an HNC in Textiles/Millinery at Morley College in Chelsea, London, the only professional millinery course available in the UK.

 

I recently had the opportunity to connect with Roberta, who shared more about her background and inspiration, her journey to her first commission in 2019, her award-winning hat, and her plans for the future.

 

Tell us about your background and what led you to millinery.

My fashion heritage goes about three generations back to my great-grandmother. She had a good life and a really nice marriage. For those days in 1920s Sicily, she was very independent and got a lot of support from her husband to pursue her goal of running a fashion business. Unfortunately, her husband passed away when he was 50 when she was still relatively young, so she found herself raising six kids on her own through her work as a tailor. There's a story of survival that goes with her craft. 

She was a tailor and a fashion designer who attended a professional school in Italy. When she was still with my great-grandfather, they traveled to Paris together, embarking on a 2,000-kilometer journey by steam train! In those days, it wasn't an easy trip. They went there in the twenties when Schiaparelli and Chanel would probably have been showing their work. She came back excited and brought lots of nice materials back with her. Her business grew because of this trip and gradually attracted clients from the Sicilian nobility. Her business really thrived. She had a 17-room atelier in central Catania.

She was really infectious in terms of passing on her passion to her daughters. I spent my childhood sewing things with my grandmother Isabella, which is where everything started for me. However, it wasn't until many years later that I encountered millinery. My great-grandmother would not have made hats because they had what we call a modista, a milliner who would do that. But my dad has a big passion for hats, and the two things eventually came together.

 

My first encounter with hats was in 2015 when I attended a workshop in London. London is more open-minded when it comes to hats, while Italy is quite traditional. I just fell in love with millinery at first sight.

 

What memories do you have of sewing with your grandmother?

We celebrate Carnevale in Italy, and the family made all of my Carnevale dresses from scratch. My grandmother and aunt made this princess dress from a beautifully embroidered taffeta material that I think came from Morocco. I remember so clearly sitting on a chair for them to do the hem. They even made a matching headband to go with the dress.

 

Lots of love came with this craft. My early memories involve spending time with my loved ones, holding a needle, and making little purses or projects that my grandmother would give me.

 

The one thing I'm a bit upset with my grandmother about is that she never wanted to teach me how to use the sewing machine because she was scared I would hurt my fingers. It's something I had to pick up later on. Only recently have I overcome that deep fear. It would have saved me so much time, though, if I had learned it from her!

In millinery, you do a lot of hand sewing, and it came naturally to me to focus more on invisible stitching and all the things you do by hand. Eventually I wanted to be able to also create pattern-based hats that involve using a sewing machine. I mastered this in college only last year!

A couple of things really stayed with me. One is the quality of the materials my family was able to find in Italy to make clothes, and the other is their attention to detail. There's an emotion that goes into what you're making; it's not just a piece of fabric that goes through a machine.  

 

Describe your journey from training to your first commission.

After some years of playing around just for pleasure, I started training professionally in 2019 through workshops and courses available in London. Then, I was approached by a burlesque performer called Olive TuPartie in New York via Instagram. She trusted me one hundred percent. It was one of those things that just happened, and I couldn't believe it because she was (and still is) the dream customer.

 

Because she's called Olive, she asked me to make something that resembled an olive with a skewer and a pimento. We collaborated online, and it was interesting that I could do my first commission across the ocean, basically without doing a fitting. But I spend a lot of time really understanding the customer and paying attention, putting some thought into what I'm doing at the same time.

 

My training was not formal, but I attended workshops with renowned milliners. In London, they organized London Hat Week; they invited milliners from abroad to come and teach, and I was lucky to study with people all the way from Australia and Israel. So, the two things coincided.

 

Tell us about your award-winning Riccio hat, its inspiration, and how you created it.

This project was very close to my heart for many reasons. My mom passed away a couple of years ago, and I didn't realize until later how much of that was part of this project.

 

It all came about when our teacher took us to a cemetery just to get some inspiration. There were corbezzolo trees there. I picked up this berry, and I was just attracted by the idea of something that's spiky outside with something precious inside. So, I started developing some mockups and prototypes and let this project take its course.

 

The sea urchin, riccio in Italian, uses this survival strategy. At the time, I felt a bit like a riccio because I was trying to protect myself and be strong outside. 

The other key element of this design is crochet. My mom taught me to crochet when I was little. So when I made the structure of the sea urchin with millinery wire, I then covered it with crocheted felt, a technique I developed entirely on my own. To be honest, I didn't even know it was possible until I did this.

 

So lots of things came together: the fact that there's this kind of relationship that goes back to when I was a child. When I was designing it, it wasn't clear to me. I was just going with the design process and going from one thing to another. But when it came to writing my artist statement at the end, I realized all these elements from my Sicilian heritage were there. It's probably the project that is closest to my heart right now.

 

How do you balance traditional techniques with modern design elements in your work?

I think traditional techniques are there to help you. You have to know the rules to be able to break them. First, you have to learn the craft properly, and then you can go beyond and understand how you can innovate.

 

In a way, I am quite traditional. I am very curious about traditions, heritage, and old crafts. That's why crochet is one of the techniques that I'm trying to develop at the moment. I'm thinking of starting to crochet with materials that may not be so traditional—anything from metal and leather to foraged pieces of grass. I am still in that process, but a crucial part of my design language is the juxtaposition of contrasting elements: old and new, feminine and masculine, hard and soft. For example, I recently developed a feminine version of the Sicilian flat cap, made with luxurious materials that contrast with its traditional association with men in the Sicilian countryside. 

 

What are your future plans?

This year, my focus is on finishing my last year in college, when we will present our final collection. I'm hoping that this will be my debut as a millinery designer-maker. I've already been gaining work experience with other milliners, and I intend to continue working freelance, producing a mixture of my own designs and creations for other people.

 

More recently, I've also been doing some work in theatrical millinery, a type of work that really appeals to me because it's more about solving a problem. Although I do like fashion and I like to create my own designs, I see myself l always doing a mixture of fashion and work for the stage.

 

I think it goes back to my first commission for Olive. That commission will probably be the one that will always stay with me; it sort of set the tone for me from the start. More recently, I have realized that what I like to do is help people realize their creative vision on and off the stage.

 

What do you hope people will take away from your work?

A smile? Happiness. That's the thing that hats do for people. You can go anywhere; if you wear a hat, you connect with others. People will probably ask about it. They'll be intrigued by your personality. What my hats do is create connections and generate happy memories. That's happened so many times.

 

Once, a lady came to me and said she had been told she couldn't wear hats because of her face. I said, "It's just like a haircut. You've just got to find the right one for you." Then she started wearing this hat that we looked at together, and a few days later, she sent me a thank-you card for helping her feel happy and confident in her own skin. That's what I'd like people to take away.

You can follow Roberta on Instagram @robertacucuzzamillinery and see her work on her website at robertacucuzza.com. Feel free to sign up to her mailing list to receive subscriber-only updates.

 

 

Robert Cucuzza's Riccio hat. Photo by Fenica Chambel

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Oriana Lamarca creates vibrant jewelry, channeling over 100 hues and dozens of motifs inspired by her Sicilian heritage. Her brands, Oriana Lamarca Designs and My Sicilian Love Affair, have together served as a colorful beacon that kept her going even through the lowest points in her health and personal life. 

"My hashtag is #addictedtoarmcandy, and I love to say that my addiction to designing these bracelets and this passion that I have for what I do truly did save my life," says Oriana. "And through it all, I've just had so many amazing experiences."

Oriana shared with me her deep connection with her Sicilian roots and how that shapes her designs, how she got started, her passion for color, how she balances the trendy and the timeless, and more. 

What is your connection to Sicily?

My parents were both born and raised in Sicily. They both came over as teenagers. My mom's from Castellammare del Golfo; we still have the house she was born and raised in, and we recently did some renovations. And so she and I went back and forth.

My dad is from Agrigento, so a little farther south. My grandparents, up until pre-COVID lived there from September to June. So, growing up, I always would spend a couple weeks at a time staying with them and spending time in Sicily. I have beautiful memories of that and continuing the Sicilian traditions through everything we do, including holidays and food.

 

What role does your Sicilian heritage play in your designs?

Pretty much everything revolves around that. I have another website dedicated to my love for Sicily, which is called MySicilianLoveAffair.com. And there's also an Instagram attached to it. My Sicilian heritage is the basis of everything I do and design and my storytelling.

 

I was actually married. I got married in Taormina, Sicily, in 2014, when social media started to kick off. So people saw that I was going back so often, and I found myself planning trips for people every summer. And I said to myself, "I need a reference point to be able to send these people so I don't have to just keep repeating myself." So that's kind of how the idea for My Sicilian Love Affair was born, as a reference point for everything from where to go, where to stay, what to eat, traditions, travel, and fashion.

 

That ties into Oriana Lamarca Designs. I'm designing my collections and storytelling and translating my life experiences, values, and roots, all through my designs and creations. I have a My Sicilian Love Affair collection in which I incorporate pieces of ceramics handmade in Sicily. The ceramics I've selected highlight Sicilian culture, whether it's the cassata cake, a traditional Sicilian dessert, or the carretto Siciliano, the wheel of the cart. I have teste di moro, of which there's a male and a female. It's a traditional Sicilian legend. And so I've utilized these ceramics to highlight little bits and pieces of our culture and all the stories that go along with it. 

 

How did you start Oriana Lamarca Designs?

My parents have a tile and stone design center, so I grew up working for them. I went to college, graduated, and decided to stay and help them. I was designing kitchens and bathrooms and working with stones, but I always loved fashion a little bit more. My grandmother was a seamstress for Ralph Lauren and Halston, so it kind of runs in my veins.

I would go to work for my parents during the day, and at night, I would go shopping. I came across these beaded bracelets and thought, "I'm not going to spend a hundred dollars on one. I can make it for myself." So, I started ordering beads. I taught myself how to tie the knot.

 

I started selling to friends and family from 2013 to 2014. I took a break because I had planned a wedding overseas. Once I got back, six months after I was married, I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. And so I was home for three months. During that time, I built my website and solidified the concept for the collections and the idea for the brand. Once I got better and started going out again, I did a lot of pop-up shops, like home shopping parties.

 

The website was picking up a little traction. In January 2016, I decided to leave work for my parents to pursue this full-time job for about three years. It was kind of still just a thing that was keeping me busy. I was growing this brand, which I love, but at the same time, I was a wife, and I thought I'd be starting a family. And so it wasn't as serious, I'll say, as it is now.

In 2019, I went through a divorce right before COVID. Again, at this low point in my life, my business gave me the strength and focus to pull through, and I dedicated every second of my life to making it work and bringing it to where it is today.

Color plays a huge role in your work. Share with us the story behind the various shades.

I love color. Actually, that stems from both my mother and working at the tile store, where my mother is one to have always really worn a lot of black and just beige and neutral colors, as well as designing kitchens and bathrooms. Everybody wanted just neutral colors, and I just loved color.

Color plays a huge role in our everyday life, mood, confidence, and so much else. With these bracelets, the idea was to effortlessly add color to your outfit, whether you're wearing all black but want to add a pop of color without it being too much or you don't want to wear a strong-colored top. You can add a little bit of color with your accessories—not just the bracelets, but the earrings, the necklaces, and the bags to complement the entire look.

 

At this point, I have over a hundred different colored gemstones, which allow people to mix and match and create their own "arm party," as I like to call it, to compliment your outfit or add color. I like to wear a lot of color, so I will often compliment all the colors I'm wearing and kind of wrap that all up in one little storyboard in my arm party. Or if I'm wearing just my classic Sicilian black lace go-to type of outfit, I'll accessorize with colorful bracelets to give it a pop of color and fun.

 

When I started with six or seven signature collections, each of which was created during the time that I was sick, my brain organized the colors together into six collections inspired by different destinations I had traveled to.

 

So I live in New York, which has more of an edgier vibe with metallics, white, and black. Everybody wears black in New York. The Miami collection has a lot of brighter colors, like the neons—the lime green and the bright magenta pink, which reminds me of Miami Vice. The Greek collection was inspired by my honeymoon. I had been to Greece, and there were a lot of white houses, blue roofs, and blue water in the Mediterranean. So that was what inspired that collection. But basically, I organized the colors—over a hundred of them—through these signature collections, through the culture of that destination I had been to.

 

How do you source the materials and stones for your collections?

I do a lot of research online. I order from all over the world. The ceramics are made in Sicily. A lot of the beads come from India, some from Greece. My suppliers are based in the U.S., but it depends on where the stones originate. But that's as far as the beads.

 

As far as the other products, a lot of the collection I'm now moving more toward is made in Italy. We just got a new collection called the Gaia bag, a beautiful leather bag made in Tuscany. A lot of our other bags are made in Florence or Italy. Also, the beaded bags are made in India. I pay attention to where I'm sourcing my material and make sure I give my client a product that is not only affordable but quality as well. We make our bracelets in-house in my studio in New Jersey.

How do you balance creating trendy pieces with maintaining a timeless appeal?

A lot of the collections that I've developed, aside from the signature collections, are collections that I like to tell a story through to represent something. These trendier pieces may have a little more of a timeline to them, but I like to incorporate the classic pieces that I use throughout the signature collections, even when designing the trendier collections. Because color is so important in what I do, even when sourcing the charms, I want people to be able to mix and match the bracelets without any reservations. That's why the focus of the bracelet is on the color. So the charm doesn't hinder whether you can pair it with another bracelet or not. It's really just the color of the stone that will stand out.

 

But then I do have another collection called the Expressions Collection, in which there are over a hundred charms that are more specific to a theme or a way to express yourself with something you like. For example, I have a lipstick charm if you're in the beauty industry. Or if you're a hairdresser, I have a pair of scissors charm. So that's where I focus more on the charms. But as far as the other collections I design are concerned, I always try to portray style, class, and elegance through whatever I'm designing.

 

What are your future plans?

One of them, which is coming into fruition in 2025, is focusing more on bridging the gap between Sicily and New York and some travel planning, which I started through my other website, My Sicilian Love Affair, and sourcing products that are not just made in Italy, but also more specifically in Sicily. Because Sicily is such a rich island of culture, we have so many stories to tell and beautiful products to choose from. One product that was just brought to my attention is from a woman who designed a collection of bags using prickly pear leaves, which is really innovative and different. And so I want to bring all of these unique pieces Sicily has to offer here stateside. Along with the bracelets and the jewelry, it is a lifestyle brand, so I'm incorporating more food, travel, and fashion altogether. 

 

What do you hope your customers take away?

I want my customers to feel fashionable, confident, part of a community, and just good when they wear these bracelets and know that they are wearing a bracelet that has a purpose, a bracelet that represents them, and a bracelet that, for the woman who doesn't feel like getting decked out head to toe daily, she can throw this on and feel like she has a fashionable look effortlessly.

I have a collection called Armcandy for a Cause. It's the philanthropic side of what I do, which I started about 10 years ago. I design a bracelet dedicated to a certain organization. I design the color and the charm to represent that organization, and then I donate the proceeds back to that organization. So, through all of it, we're also making a difference together and helping our community. 

 

 

 

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