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Portrait

Arielle Shapiro
A designing woman ruling the New York Garment District where all her collections are hand crafted and made to order, Arielle Shapiro’s entrance in the lingerie world in the United States with the Ari Dein brand, called the attention of boutiques and the fashion industry.

Designing Woman

For Arielle Shapiro, designing was, from the very beginning, a natural interpretation of the way she saw the world, and the personal expression of how she felt about it. “It is almost involuntary,” she goes on to say about her tendency to express herself through her designs. Producing local luxury goods is a family tradition in Arielle’s family, which started over 80 years ago with her great grandfather and is now carried on by the lingerie designer herself catering lingerie designs still manufactured on antique machines for the brand she created a year and a half ago. Meanwhile it was ballet that got Arielle hooked on lingerie more than other fashion segments. “When I was a ballerina in high school, I was introduced to the costume designers that had transformed the modern day tutu and hidden all sorts of trinkets in the layers for only the wearer to know about,” she explains. “It opened my eyes to the psychology behind adorning one’s body and having a relationship with a piece of clothing. I was also interested in the undercarriage of these tutus, the boning and the architecture of it all, labor intensive, expertly crafted and exquisite, just incredible!” Ari Dein Lingerie is the result of Arielle’s commitment to fine craftsmanship and meticulous attention to details ARIELLE SHAPIRO demonstrating a sensibility influenced by an independent design process rather than by fashion trends, with the signature lion’s image incorporated into the hardware, as a “reminder to be courageous in the boardroom and beyond”. Ari Dein, a very American brand, hand crafted and made to order, with a presence in fourteen stores in the United States and two in the United Kingdom, and counting. “While I’m influenced heavily by other cultures, I still think that my voice is American and it shows in the work.” The first collection has become the signature line, Boutique Hotel; a concept developed on antique furniture motifs and art deco details, from what the designer refers to as the “Old New York Forgotten Era”. “I felt strongly that the black, pink and ivory lace market has been covered,” explains Arielle. “So I set out to make something personal and hoped t wouldn’t be so unusual that no one would get it.” Soon after, the next seasons presented a breezier version of the New York woman, with collections inspired by images of Arielle’s favorite poems as well as different cities and cultures, absorbed within the melting pot of New York City. Arielle Shapiro’s brand is bound to flourish. Next project is a swimwear line, Sea Lion by Ari Dein, meant to launch for SS2012, an intriguing array of swimsuits, with five different prints and a wide variation of colors and styles.

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THE BEST OF INTIMA – 02/2011

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