CELESTE VICTORIA
Stacy Fan with designer, Celeste. Stacy wearing a Celeste Victoria piece.
When I meet Celeste at Flying Solo, she has an undeniably beautiful energy about her. Wearing a stunning black top (her own design) her collection is a true reflection of herself. Glamourous and striking yet approachable. As we make our way upstairs to see her collection, Celeste tells me, “Celeste Victoria came about, especially the name of the brand (because it was) me incorporating myself and my grandmother, as she is the one who taught me to sew as a young girl. So when I was coming up with the name of the brand, I wanted to pay tribute to that and create a name that was worthy of my clothing and her legacy. So Celeste is my name and Victoria is her name."
Celeste’s story and road to becoming a designer, unbeknownst to her at the time, began when she was just two years old.
“I was born in Jamaica, in St. Elizabeth. I was two years old when I moved to stay with my grandmother. I lived with her for the early part of my life, between two and ten. within those periods it was really.. it was hard. But I didn’t understand, actually I didn’t know it was hard, but I learnt now that it had an effect. She already had grown kids, and you know, here I am, this brand-new little baby and my dad had to leave me with her so he could do what he needed to do for the family."
However by Celeste spending her early years with her grandmother, a seamstress, ultimately ended up being one of the reasons Celeste became a designer. "She was a seamstress, has always been and I remember every weekend, when we would go to the market, she would make bedding, I mean everything. My clothes she made from scratch. Everything I wore from age two and ten was from my grandmother. I mean, I didn’t even know they made clothes… “ Celeste stops and places her hand on my arm, leaning in and with a surprised smiling face, exclaims, “I didn’t even know there was actual real clothes!” I laugh along, “Wait there's a shop?” Celeste laughs. “Like no… and a designer? What is that?”
“She taught me the basics of sewing when she was doing it, how to thread the needle. And it was an old school sewing machine, you know the ones with the peddle? I had to sit on her lap and she would do the peddle and she would show me how to thread the needle and stuff.”
After seeing her grandmother the last time in 2021, after the pandemic, Celeste says, “I started just going hard at the fashion, designing. And 2022, life has changed, you have to become more serious. Before I was always in fashion, I sold in the vintage market, in the flea market in NY, that was my fashion. But this part, I kept it under wraps for a long time, because I’m self-taught. So I wanted to take my time and really develop what it is I want to say to the world before I put it out there. And I was very comfortable with my day job and I didn’t want to complicate my life because I loved my freedom."
Having been a flight attended, Celeste certainly had freedom, a view of the world that has undoubtedly given her an even greater perspective as a designer. But giving up that freedom was a hard challenge for her. “You don’t have a lot of freedom when you decide to step outside of being just an employee and becoming your own boss. And as a small start-up in fashion, oh god! So I wasn’t ready, but the pandemic forced me to be. After that it was just tunnel vision.”
“My collection is the progress of my design. I started out with evening gowns and that was for me, the dream. The grand moment of everything. It was me escaping my reality and living in that bubble and thinking about what my future will be. And it will be the woman, that steps on the red carpet in these beautiful gowns that transform you.
After seeing her grandmother the last time in 2021, after the pandemic, Celeste says, “I started just going hard at the fashion, designing. And 2022, life has changed, you have to become more serious. Before I was always in fashion, I sold in the vintage market, in the flea market in NY, that was my fashion. But this part, I kept it under wraps for a long time, because I’m self-taught. So I wanted to take my time and really develop what it is I want to say to the world before I put it out there. And I was very comfortable with my day job and I didn’t want to complicate my life because I loved my freedom."
Having been a flight attended, Celeste certainly had freedom, a view of the world that has undoubtedly given her an even greater perspective as a designer. But giving up that freedom was a hard challenge for her. “You don’t have a lot of freedom when you decide to step outside of being just an employee and becoming your own boss. And as a small start-up in fashion, oh god! So I wasn’t ready, but the pandemic forced me to be. After that it was just tunnel vision.”
“My collection is the progress of my design. I started out with evening gowns and that was for me, the dream. The grand moment of everything. It was me escaping my reality and living in that bubble and thinking about what my future will be. And it will be the woman, that steps on the red carpet in these beautiful gowns that transform you.
It’s a Cinderella effect. And the moment you put on my dress, I promise you, you will have that feeling.”
Celeste Victoria's pieces are beautifully structured, the piece I try on at the end of our interview is transformative, as promised. The construction perfection, and as intended able to be worn almost any time of year. Paired back to the matching skort, worn with jeans to instantly elevate, or for almost any season if you layer a roll neck knit underneath. A timeless piece that will see you through every season.
“As I grew and I taught myself more, and now that I’ve lived that dream. My dream has become that reality and now I wanted to share a little bit more of that with a larger population. So I started to scale back with the evening gowns and getting in to that ready-to-wear market so I could touch every person that wants the dream. And you could own just a small piece of my collection. And I call it that small luxury. You don’t have to have everything. You just need one small piece. And all of my pieces most likely break down into individual pieces that can be worn together or separately. So as a matter of fact, a skirt was ready-to-wear version of the evening gown that I showed with Flying Solo in Paris, 2023. This was the (fabric from the) closing piece" (a gold jacquard brocade material).
“As I grew and I taught myself more, and now that I’ve lived that dream. My dream has become that reality and now I wanted to share a little bit more of that with a larger population. So I started to scale back with the evening gowns and getting in to that ready-to-wear market so I could touch every person that wants the dream. And you could own just a small piece of my collection. And I call it that small luxury. You don’t have to have everything. You just need one small piece. And all of my pieces most likely break down into individual pieces that can be worn together or separately. So as a matter of fact, a skirt was ready-to-wear version of the evening gown that I showed with Flying Solo in Paris, 2023. This was the (fabric from the) closing piece" (a gold jacquard brocade material).
“Then I decided to create something a bit more wearable for everyday to go from day to night depending on how you style it and I came up with this piece.” (a stunning skirt that could be paired with a t-shirt and a flat for the day or a bralette for a stunning evening look).
“As well, it was the first time I was introducing more of a ready-to-wear so a lot of people didn’t expect it. And I created this top, a halter top in horse print) and a pair of pants and I put it down the runway. And even my friends were like, “Who is that? I don’t know how that is?” Celeste laughs. I said, "Not to worry, I am coming, ok!”
“Also I chose this print because I love horses, but I’m also a lover of great prints. I gravitate to prints and it just tells a story for me and it goes back again to how I started with my grandmother. She really, really just gravitated to a lot of really great prints that she sold every weekend in the market, and that’s how I got into fashion altogether or even in to fabrics. They are all meant to be worn individually or separately. And you can just break them down and you add your personal pieces to it.”
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“I made everything that I have, to be worn with your personal clothing, because I love fashion. I can’t just wear my clothes, I’d be bored! So of course I need my wardrobe, other designers, pieces to be worn seamlessly with my design. That’s what I try to do. I mean I live in New York, I’m not going to walk around in stilettoes hardly ever, so I made things that could be worn with sneakers or chunky shoes.”
After moving to America, Celeste lived in Atlanta, Georgia where her father was a chef, but Celeste later made her way to New York. “I wanted the American dream” she tells me, “It was Sex and The City, New York. I didn’t know anyone here! I didn’t even know where New York was but I was going.” Figuring out a way to be able to see the world by becoming a flight attendant, another decision that has certainly changed Celeste's trajectory in life and sculpt who she is as a designer.
“When I was 15 years old I remember meeting this guy and he’s like, you’d make a cute air hostess. I said, ‘What’s that?’ And he said, 'You know those beautiful women who fly on the plane' and I said ‘no', I’d never even been on a plane."
“I didn’t know what I wanted to be as a child, but that stayed in my mind, and I remember, I was at an academic school and they only had one art class, and I was like the number one queen of art class. I knew I never wanted to be a doctor, I’m just not that kind of person. And so I just needed something to hold on to, so when the year book came around and I needed to write down what I wanted to be, I said, 'I’m going to be a flight attendant'. I started applying and I moved to New York.”
In 2020 a curve ball was thrown at Celeste. She was due to go to Paris for a year, “I was going to do a year of learning but then that blew up in my face so it was either going to ruin me, I was very hurt, or I was going to keep going and at the end of 2021 starting 2022, Celeste started getting serious and stepped out of her 'bubble', “It’s time.” She says with a steeliness.
But it wasn’t easy. “You’re talking about leaving my handmade stuff in a store for people to tear it apart. Eventually you have to let go, and you’ll grow and that’s what I did. And with Flying Solo, I saw it on IG and they got back to me and I thought, 'What? I’m going to Paris for fashion week?' It was my dream. And it was the right time."
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Having travelled as much as Celeste has and lived the life she has, I am sure I know the answer, but I ask anyway, "What is your main inspiration when it comes to your collections?"
“Life! I need to experience, feel something. I need a reason. It could be something as small as, we’re standing here and looking out the window and someone walks by with an energy, or something that they’re wearing and it just tells a story and I’m just alive. But for me I need life. I need travel. Travel for me, is probably the biggest inspiration. Whenever I go somewhere and come back, I’m inspired.”
I ask Celeste one last question before we wrap up, so curious now about her grandmothers heritage, her story... "Your grandmother, do you know how she learnt to sew?”
Celeste pauses “I don’t…” she says with a look of surprise. “But you know what? I’m going to have to call her and ask her! I don’t know…I don’t even know what her mother’s name is now that we’re talking about that. I’m going to have to ask her about that. She is 92 years old. She’s still in Jamaica. I never thought that this would be my life. I had no idea. But I am so grateful, I am so grateful. I don’t know who I’d be if not this. This is just who I was meant to be.” Looking at Celeste's collection, the passion and fire in her eyes, I couldn't agree more.
I add, “She really has helped inform your future career, of who you’ve become. Seeing all this in front of me here, the talent, the skills she passed down and you carrying it on, she must be so proud of you..”
“She is, ugh, she is” Celeste says, clearly with a full heart, “I actually really need to go and see and that’s what I plan on doing immediately.”
Find Celeste Victoria at :
Flying Solo, the showroom
Online at https://www.celestevictoriany.com
IG: @celestevictoria_ny
Photo Credit: Jordan Tyler. IG: @jordantylerphotography
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