She has always been in the fashion industry. First as a model, now as an accessory designer, both of footwear and bags, and from 2017 as co-owner and creative director of the Judith Leiber brand.
Dee Ocleppo, wife of fashion guru Tommy Hilfiger, has been directing for six years the brand that carries her name and that was launched with a collections of bags, to which, since September, shoes have been added.
I have been designing bags since 2011. Initially customisable made in China models, which were sold on television on HSN channel, as well as by Harrods, Galeries Lafayette or Saks Fifth Avenue.
After selling the ‘Bag Bar’ system to Kate Spade, the designer decides to launch a new line of high-end bags and shoes that carries her name, producing everything in Italy: “I was interested in building a Made in Italy collection that had a fair price. That is why we decided to sell directly online and ship worldwide without additional costs. So we manage to charge a pair of shoes at the highest level a maximum of 420 dollars”.
The question may seem obvious, but necessary. Why Italy? She answers without thinking: “Because producing in Italy means fantastic quality of materials and labour. A beautiful design made in Italy is transformed into an unforgettable object. And then I am very fond of Italy, where my children live with my ex-husband”.
To explain her style, she reverses a typical Anglo-Saxon affirmation: “More is more. I like to exaggerate. I find the type of model that we decide to propose (we offer many and different) not so important as the quality with which the model is made”.
And while Tommy Hilfiger, who is always close to her, explains that among his future projects there will be something linked to the sporting world, we ask her how she lives the comparison with such a fashion icon:
I am very lucky, because I can benefit from his suggestions every day… and I do not have to pay!
Both declare to influence each other. For Dee Ocleppo it is very important to take inspiration from pop culture, whose insights include details such as the hot pink sole.
To mention the company that produces and contributes to designing the Dee Ocleppo footwear: the ‘In Moda’ of Santhià, led by a leather expert, which is the managing director Matteo Armillotta who, together with his son Alessandro (CEO of the company for the United States), has relied on Neapolitan and Campania craftsmen to make the products.
The next steps of the brand aim to build a global (online and offline) distribution, which touches its main objectives: United Arab Emirates and China.
