Valencia Fashion Designer Amparo Chordá Embraces Haute Couture with Femininity and Sophistication
When creating haute couture, Spanish fashion designer Amparo Chordá, who is from Valencia, Spain, knows that skilled needlework and the love of the craft are the only ways to truly capture the feminine form.
Yet at the same time, she recognizes that clothing also goes well beyond the threads and projects an attitude and approach that is essentially the fabric of life.
When conjuring up ideas for her designs, Chordá suggests that one should "never lose sight of your femininity and sophistication," she told the Latin Post in an exclusive interview from Valencia, Spain.
While you can be a modern and ever-evolving woman, your feminine side can be embraced and celebrated at the same time -- this approach is evident when looking at the flow of her designs.
"You can be dynamic and cultured, but you shouldn't have to lose your femininity," she reiterates.
Recently, Chordá came to the United States to feature her collection at DC Latin Fashion Week -- Capitol Fashion Gala Awards at the Carnegie Library on Nov. 30. 2013. Besides featuring her beautiful designs, she was also awarded the DC Latin Fashion Week's Capitol Trajectory Award.
A true fan of America and its approach to fashion, Chordá was thrilled to visit our nation's Capitol.
"I was proud and I felt welcomed," she said of the event.
So how did the Spanish designer get her start in the world of fashion and grab international attention?
Fashion has always been a fixture in Chordá's life and the love for the craft was inspired by her family. Ever since she was a little girl, Chordá was enchanted by the world of fashion -- her mother was a fan of fashion and her father was skilled in the art of sewing. Needless to say, she followed in their footsteps.
From these precise skills, Chordá has been dubbed "the most universal designer from Valencia in the scene of haute couture."
She's also be referred to as "a perfectionist without limits, humble, hard working and talented and a "tireless creator, always faithful to the roots of her profession. Her imagination and her needle always seek formal purity and chromatic balance, elaborating pieces that do not hide but rather that enhance feminine beauty far from the imposed canons.
"In her studio in Valencia, she appears as an authentic artist of fashion. She dominates and supervises each phase of the process, supporting her workshop team in order to develop relevant and unique creations, which turns her into one of the most sought-after designers among the most select clients."
She also helped create SACH, a fashion firm launched by Bisila Bokoko and designed by Chordá herself. The brand has headquarters in New York and in Valencia. SACH celebrated its debut during Fashion Week New York 2011 before the world leaders of the fashion and design scene.
"SACH is a pioneer in many aspects. However, its differentiating leitmotif is solidarity, since a high percentage of the sales are dedicated to the Bisila Bokoko African Literacy Project, created to extend culture throughout the African continent, bringing knowledge to those children and youths that do not have access to education."
Which fashion designers have inspired Chordá throughout her career?
Chordá has drawn inspiration from the late British fashion designer and couturier, Alexander McQueen, who was known for his eccentric designs. The four-time British Designer of the Year award-winner and recipient of the CFDA's International Designer of the Year award, was known for having worked as chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001 and for founding his own Alexander McQueen label.
In addition to McQueen, Chordá has been inspired by Balenciaga, a French fashion house founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Spanish designer, born in the Basque Country, Spain. Balenciaga "had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as 'the master of us all' by Christian Dior. He's also known for his "bubble skirts and odd, feminine, yet ultra-modern shapes."
When it comes to fashion, many would assume that Europeans have a better understanding of fashion than your average American, however Chordá says that Americans are full of life, put their spin on fashion, and make their mark in the industry.
"We may have our art, history, castles and sophistication, but the United States is vibrant, dynamic, and it is constantly changing," she said.
Check out Amaparo's designs in the United Colors of Fashion's Fashion for Humanity Fashion Show in 2012.
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