A new blazer cannot change your life – but it certainly changed mine.
In 2011, Yvon Chouinard taught me secondhand materials and objects are the most sustainable, and if you see a problem with the way something is done, you can (and maybe even should) be part of the answer.
In 2016, upon hearing about my business plan, Mr. Chouinard said “We [Patagonia] made a blazer once. You only need one good one.” I had just the one in mind.
In 2013, my stylish and petite mother handed down a gem from the back of her closet. A double-breasted blazer with a fit like none I’d experienced before, intentionally oversized for her 5’2″ frame and just right for me, 3.5 inches taller. From 2013-2015, I wore it for countless important moments, until threadbare and too costly to fix. I wanted to recreate and improve this design for myself, and figured I’d offer it to friends and peers as well. With no idea how to get clothes made, I set out on a series of misadventures around the world in search of a viable solution.
In 2015, I started wondering what happened to the stuff we donated. I quickly discovered the clothing industry was the world’s second most polluting industry, and 85-95% of discarded clothing could have been put to better use. I learned systems are in place for sorting and recycling, yet clothing is seen as consumable and disposable. Consumer awareness was the #1 problem. Convenience was #2.
My longtime dream to start a mission-driven clothing brand now morphed to combine these ideas and create a better fashion system, and a better blazer in particular. After a year and a half of open experimentation, here is where we begin again.
VICENZI is an independent womenswear label based in New York City founded on the simple premise that women should feel good in, and feel good about, the clothes we choose to wear.
We want to help women express their most unique and brazen selves through distinctive, flattering, and long-lasting garments. Garments that hold value, in more ways than one. We currently specialize in the quintessential wear-everywhere blazer, made from fine Italian wools and other exquisite natural materials sourced from top mills and factories across the globe.
All VICENZI garments are masterfully tailored, cut and sewn in limited runs at a family-owned factory in NYC, then sold directly to clients through a sustainable, closed-loop system.
Thank you for visiting our site. Thank you for joining in the vision. We look forward to servicing your wardrobe for many years to come.
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allison vicenzi
October 2017
Designs, projects, ideas ©VICENZI 