For NYC-based creative director, Elizabeth Giardina, an unwavering gratitude for life’s simplest, yet most valuable pleasures – her family, her home, travel – radiates through her creative output. After almost two decades spent designing for brands Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam 10 Crosby and Halston, she’s turned her hand to sustainability focussed, Another Tomorrow. Creating elevated essentials designed to accentuate the art of everyday dressing, her collections begin with an appreciation of material, movement and proportion, leading to garments that are not only timelessly flattering, but offer a sustainable and ethical vision for the future.
01 I WAS ORIGINALLY DRAWN TO DESIGN BY
American, female choreographers and dancers – specifically Katherine Dunham, Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan.
I danced growing up and when I studied these women, I found striking how they
used costumes to push their art further.
My interest in clothing, the body and the interaction between the two all comes
from dance.
*Pictured here: the dancer & choreographer Katherine Dunham.
02 A TECHNIQUE OR CRAFT THAT FASCINATES ME
I will never get enough of hand sewing – hand-rolled scarves, hand-applied trims (buttons, snaps etc), hand embroidery, mending, etc. What can be created and also repaired with a needle and thread is truly remarkable.
03 ANOTHER TOMORROW APPEALED TO ME PERSONALLY AS A BRAND BECAUSE
the brand aligns with my belief in sustainable design, treating clothing as
an asset and making clothing out of
high-quality materials and in factories with excellent working conditions.
*Pictured here: Another Tomorrow's latest range.
04 SUSTAINABILITY SHOULD BE AT THE CORE OF EVERYTHING WE DO BECAUSE
if we don’t live and create from a mindset of sustainability we will not survive. We should strive to own less, use less and buy the highest quality materials that we can or buy second-hand. We need to push manufacturers in every sector to do better. Anyone that is in the business of designing and making should be focused on sustainability.
05 MY STYLE PHILOSOPHY IS
Personally, I love style when it is slightly al dente: perfectly cooked and never overdone. I like when clothing is a bit minimal but never basic – styled so the entire look seems effortless. Fashion for me is an expression of self-love. I find joy and inspiration in admiring people who put care and love into their appearance, regardless of whether it aligns with my personal taste.
06 AN ARTWORK I WISH I HAD CREATED
I have always been in awe of what Christo and Jeanne-Claude created - both by the monumental quality of their work and their lifelong creative collaboration.
*Pictured here: Christo & Jeanne Claude; "Miami, surrounded islands", c. 1980
07 SOMETHING I DISCOVERED RECENTLY
The show Home on Apple TV. I am fascinated by the principles and design philosophies of innovative homes, especially thinking of homes as not just private but potentially communal spaces. I am in the process of designing a home and I think a lot about what home means for my family. I want my family to grow up the same way I did: where guests are always welcome and community is encouraged.
08 I WAS MOST RECENTLY INSPIRED BY
My son Jasper: it is really inspiring to watch a little human put outfits together without knowledge of any societal rules. He pays a lot of attention to how fabrics feel on his body and the colours he likes. It is truly inspiring to observe his creative decision-making day to day. Becoming a mother reignited my joy of pure creativity.
ELIZABETH'S FAVOURITE THINGS
01 Theaster Gates: the one artist whose work she'd love to buy.
02 The "L'art est un fruit" earrings in sterling silver.
03 "Sincerely, Tommy": the independent business she adores.
04 The restaurant "Otway" in Brooklyn: one of her favourites.
05 Jasper John's "Man/Mirror" at the Whitney Museum: the last exhibition that had a profound impact on her work.