Dynamic Duo: Ines and Veronica Di Santo
Interview byElizabeth Swanson
IN CELEBRATION OF THE AMAZING TALENT THAT MAKES UP OUR BRIDAL INDUSTRY, THE BRIDAL COUNCIL IS LAUNCHING A NEW SERIES OF “DYNAMIC DUO" INTERVIEWS. WE BEGIN BY HIGHLIGHTING THREE DYNAMIC MOTHER-DAUGHTER BUSINESSES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
WE KICK-OFF OUR SERIES WITH THE AMAZING TEAM OF INES & VERONICA DI SANTO.
THEY SAT DOWN WITH WRITER BETH SWANSON AND GAVE AN INSIDER’S PEEK INTO THEIR SUCCESS.
How long have you two been working together? When did Veronica join the company?
Since the age of 8, Veronica has been involved in my business. Many of her childhood memories involve walking to my Atelier after school and spending long days and nights there. She has grown up around fashion and around my work ethic. Veronica formally joined the company when graduating from University and together we set out to grow our tiny operation to the global leading bridal brand it is today.
Veronica, did you know you wanted to work with your mother when you were a child? Were there any other careers you considered?
I was thinking of pursuing a career in film before I made the decision to formally join the company. Then I saw the opportunity for me to grow into the business and I very much enjoyed the sense of adventure and accomplishment. Having grown up around fashion, I had an intimate knowledge of the fashion business and loved the creative opportunities of the industry.
Veronica Di Santo in one of the wedding gowns designed by Ines.
Did you collaborate with Ines to make your wedding dress? If so, please describe.
I let Ines design all three looks as who can know you better than your Mother? She is obsessed with the female form and her talent is working with a bride’s shape to make her look and feel her best on her wedding day. I had seen her doing this countless times for many women and I left it up to her creative genius.
What specific role(s) do you each play in the company? How do your skills and specific personalities influence your roles in the company?
As CEO and Chief Design Officer, Ines is focused on all the design initiatives making sure the brand DNA and aesthetic are consistent and well communicated in all divisions.
As Managing Partner, I am focused on setting strategic goals and objectives, involved in supervising all daily activities and driving business growth.
What is your favorite part about working together?
Pushing the company forward and achieving a common goal and dream is the best part. We are super passionate and feed each other daily with our inspiration, positive energy and motivation.
What is the most challenging part about working together?
Ines: Veronica and I complement each other as she approaches things with a business and sales lens and I with that of an artist. Sometimes this trajectory puts us on opposite sides of the earth. The challenge is being able to see the other’s point of view and make decisions that validate both of our ideas.
Veronica: Ines is set on her vision and is a perfectionist down to every detail. We are truly passionate about our own ideas and processes and sometimes they do not always meet. This can be challenging from time to time.
Ines adjusting the final details before the model hits the runway.
How do you go from a mother-daughter relationship outside of the office to a co-working relationship in the office?
This transition is easy and not one that I notice changing as she is my Mother, my business partner and best friend in and outside the studio. We are this duo in all spheres of life.
What inspires each of you?
Ines: I am endlessly inspired. Whether it comes from my travels, or a movie, or something as simple as sitting in my garden, I am surrounded by a world of colors and textures that inform all of my collections and inspire my over the top proportions that I’ve become known for. I truly feel that when you live to celebrate life and create art, there is never a shortage of inspiration in the world around you.
Veronica: I am inspired by the gowns each season and love that we are making history each day with this art form and expression. Each gown celebrates this passion. I am also inspired by a true challenge. The harder the challenge, the more driven I am to solve it.
How do you collaborate to come up with the theme/inspiration for the new collection each season? Can you take me through the process?
Ines has something that sparks the flame of the season and we create an initial story board around that one idea and see where it takes us. We decide the direction of the upcoming collection together, and then we start developing the fabrics that fit into that theme. Since, as a company, we value ourselves as story tellers, we really try to start that dialogue with our custom fabric developments. Ines always starts by draping, she loves to play and get her proportions for the season worked out early on. Once the gowns start to take shape, I work on the rest of the visual representation of the inspiration. I work with our teams to communicate the direction for the music, the lighting, the hair and makeup - even down to how the line sheets and menus at our market appointments are designed. Every detail of Ines’ inspiration must be carried through our entire season in order for us to appropriately tell the story that Ines wishes to share.
What is inspiring each of you right now?
The duo backstage at one of their iconic fashion shows.
Veronica: I am truly inspired by the people I work with every day that are part of pushing this dream forward. They all have special talents and I am humbled to be working amongst them. They help me answer the questions of why do we exist? Why does this exist? What purpose does it serve? I hope to in turn create that same sense of purpose and meaning for them and their lives.
I am also inspired by brides who are prioritizing sustainability and the environment as part of their decision making process to buy wedding gowns. This is our challenge as a bridal brand to speak to this emerging audience. Being a couture brand, we really create each gown with almost no waste as each gown is made custom for our brides measurements. We are not mass producing, so it is already in our nature to be more sustainable and eco- conscious. This season we are very excited to be introducing some new recycled fabrics into the line. We have one fabric that is made 70% from recycled bottles, but it is woven at such high quality that one would never be able to tell upon touch. We are very excited about these types of new developments and plan on launching more and more each season!
For Spring 2021, Ines was inspired by Makoto Azuma, the Japanese artist and botanical sculptor. Ines was very inspired by his juxtaposition of the florals with the modern textures and surfaces he uses when presenting them. She studied the contrast of the high polish lacquer backdrops, the glass luster display boxes, and the grainy textures of the ice blocks that house his color explosive creations. Ines developed fabrics to mimic these textures, such as an organza that has structure and shine like glass but remains soft to the touch, and embossed floral jacquards with shaded definition.
Ines, how do you think the brand has changed since your daughter started working with you?
When Veronica officially joined, she set in motion a reimagining and envisioning of the brand that was fresh and exciting.
Ines, how would you describe working with Veronica?
When you look at successful design houses, you will often see a husband and wife or a parent and a child working together. I think it is the inherent understanding that flows between these relationships that make them work so well. Trust is significant and knowing my daughter understands my goals and shares many of them, is everything. We are building something that will hopefully, shine well beyond our time. I run our design room and Veronica is the Managing Partner. This shared commitment allows both of us to work to our strengths.
Veronica, how would you describe working with Ines?
She is a true visionary and her passion and talent are truly remarkable. To witness it as her Daughter is supremely sublime. She has an unmistakable aura that has an effect on all those she comes into contact with. It is a beautiful thing to watch her interact with her brides and design and create their dream gown.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE INES DI SANTO FALL 2020 COLLECTION
Can you each think of a specific memory that stands out as being one of your favorites in terms of working together?
I remember that Sunday in August of 2007, a few weeks before my wedding day when Ines called me and said you need to come to the Studio, I have something to show you. I remember the time of day, the color of the warm sunlight beaming through the windows and her face as she stood a few steps back from the gown she had been working on and was so proud to present. The gown was one of her signature ruched trumpet gowns made of the softest petal pink Silk Taffeta with a bejeweled halter and deep low back.
The gown was a statement and culmination of the unconditional love she had shown me over the years. The design was a true testament to the legacy she set out to build for us. That memory stands out as one of our favorite memories.
Down the road, do you think kids and grandkids will join the family business?
It is a dream of mine to have my Son join the business as he is highly creative and not into sports… lol. But it has to be his dream and not mine.