Comfort, versatility, dance and social impact. These are the driving forces behind dance-fashion entrepreneur Chiara, and her new clothing label CIIARA. After a brief holiday stint in Spain in late 2017, Chiara was hit with a dawning realisation of social responsibility. Even though she was content with what she had achieved so far, she wanted to make a larger positive impact for other people, rather than just living for herself.
After some hard work and research she eventually found her gap in the market, being women’s clothing inspired through dance. “I have always loved fashion so the concept of starting my own clothing label excited me. Fusing this with a social impact model was important to me too, and after I mentioned this to a few friends, they were immediately excited.”
These promising signs gave Chiara the motivation to properly plan her business model in 2018, before finally starting CIIARA. Combining a mix of staple and basic textures, the designs have a premium, luxury feel, with subtle splash of sequins and lace. Their first collection was about setting a foundation through the use of solid colours and flexible fabrics. Easy to wear tops, pants and skirts were all designed to be worn for yoga and dance studios, which has set the tone for the next collection of more intricate pieces with glamour.
The innovation doesn’t end with Chiara’s fabric endeavours, with her social impact model demonstrating her commitment to social justice. This led to the creation of a 50 per cent profit donation model for their business, with proceeds going towards the Blue Dragon Charity in Vietnam, in a bid to rescue and support sex trafficking victims. “The concept of donating to charity aligns with out vision for the brand, which is to empower women, inspire self expression and a love for life,” said Chiara.
If you liked this, please read out story on Charmaine Lyons new photographic endeavour.
