Since founding her New York City-based label in 2014, Danielle Guizio’s ’80s and ’90s vintage inspired-clothing has quickly gathered a cult following. The brand embodies the spirit of NYC modern youth culture with a street-chic aesthetic that effortlessly bridges the gap between feminine ruched dresses and oversized blazers. With It Girl icons such as Kaia Gerber, Hailey Baldwin, Bella Hadid, Elsa Hosk, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner, already sporting her looks, Danielle Guizio is sure to become a regular name found in all the cool kids’ closets.
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This New York Fashion Week, Guizio released her latest collection: a collaboration with NYC’s best and bravest, the FDNY. Blending the iconic aspects of the uniform with a downtown streetwear sensibility a portion of the proceeds from sales is being donated to the Fire Department of New York.
Read on to learn more about Guizio, here path to creating her eponymous label, and the inspiration behind her latest collection.
How’d you get into fashion?
I’m originally from about 15 minutes outside of New York City. The city was my second home. From a young age, I’ve always gravitated to the fashion scene here andconstantly escaping the suburbs in search for more. From going out, sneaking into fashion parties, networking, all while I was still in high school, I had already had a lot of friends in the industry. I moved to New York at age 17 and went to fashion school, taking business and sales classes. From there I began working retail and squeezing in internships along the way—anything that helped me get more experience in the industry along the way.
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How would you describe your design aesthetic? Who is your person?
I like to showcase that you can be sexy and keep an urban mentality. My clothes are purely what I would love to wear. When designing, one of my ultimate goals is to offer pieces that you can style up or style down for either day or night. We’re about to release 100 percent silk slip dresses and for me, the fun in that is the deciding whether to pair it with Nikes or Manolos.
What’s next for the brand?
We started introducing genderless styles over a year ago. Offering gender neutral silhouettes is something that is extremely important to me and something I would like to see more of in the future.
You have previously designed t-shirts to shed light on mental health awareness. Why is supporting this cause important to you?
It is extremely important to me not just as a designer but as a person to give back. At the end of the day no matter what industry, job, or place we are in we are all human. I struggle with anxiety and have a family history of depression, like many people do, so this was a subject that hit home for me. We launched the shirt during Mental Health Awareness month, and during the process I documented all types of walks of life and really understood the depth of how other people deal with mental health. Projects like that really inspire me and I plan to do more in the future.
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Let’s talk about the collection that you just launched with the FDNY. How’d that come about?
They are the bravest. The FDNY is one of the most influential organizations in New York City. I was always inspired not only by their uniform, but more so the content of the firemen and firewoman’s characters. As a New York City-based brand, there is not anyone I would have loved to collaborate with more. I have firemen in my family and over the years I have grown to respect their jobs entirely. They protect New Yorkers and the city itself.
Any fun stories from working with the FDNY?
I loved working on rounds of approval with the FDNY staff and the Fire Commissioner. Their suggestions at times would take me by surprise because I didn’t expect them to understand my brand at first. They would say things like “make it hot pink” or “maybe you should crop that.” I loved it. Ultimately, I hope people will celebrate, respect, and remind others of the importance of the FDNY. The trademarks alone make me proud to wear, so I hope others will feel that sense of pride.
