1000х90.jpg (78 KB)

Time in Yerevan: 11:07,   28 March 2024

Victoria Summer wears exclusive gown by Armenian fashion designer for 2018 Academy Awards - Interview

Victoria Summer wears exclusive gown by Armenian fashion designer for 2018 Academy Awards 
- Interview

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS. English actress, model and singer Victoria Summer wore a gown made by Armenian fashion designer Maria Grigoryan at the 2018 Academy Awards. Maria Grigoryan founded the acclaimed clothing brand La Bottega Mellardi in 2017.

Summer had previously worked with Max Mara.

The actress began working with the Armenian fashion designer when she couldn’t find a dress that she wanted at Max Mara.

Maria Grigoryan told ARMENPRESS that the model was offered to take a look at her Instagram account to search for a dress. “She liked my gowns and contacted me,” Maria said.

Prior to the Oscars the English model made two appearances dressed in La Bottega Mellardi, most notably during the Family Film Awards. And later on Victoria Summer preferred the Armenian fashion designer’s gowns for the Oscars as well.

“She asked me whether or not I had a dress which no one had seen, and I responded that I don’t, but soon I will. She wanted to look like a princess. Many designers had offered their gowns to her and she had a big selection, but she chose the dresses designed by me. Upon wearing the dress, she said : “This is what I was looking for”. The gown is entirely hand-made. The corset is embroidered and it is made in a Florentine style, and it took us nearly 300 hours to make.”

Victoria mentioned her admiration when she posted a photo from the red carpet wearing the beautiful gown.

Maria Grigoryan said the dress was given to the model as a gift from Mellardi. “She liked the Mellardi Fashion House so much that she is planning to collaborate with us and wear our exclusive gowns. She works with many designers, but she chose us,” Maria Grigoryan said.

The English model’s make-up artist happens to be Armenian too. Gohar Galstyan is dealing with Victoria’s makeup, and according to Maria only she has the right to do her makeup.

The fashion designer’s brother and sister had a great role in her career, and she honored them by naming her brand with the abbreviations of their first names. “Mel is my sister and Art is my brother, and the ending is Italian. My sister and brother are lawyers and I tried to take on their path. But they forced me to leave everything and chase arts. I got enrolled in UCLA, but my sister had applied to Woodbury University without my knowledge and sent me to an interview,” Maria said.

 Thus, Maria went on to study fashion design at Woodbury for three years.

“I started working with designer Brigitte Muller after graduating. We worked for celebrities. I was offered to work with Taylor Swift. But I turned the offer down because I was tired. My work was being offered under someone else’s name. And I began working to have my fashion house. I’ve also worked for Emporio Armani in Beverly Hills”.

Grigoryan credited her husband for making her dream come true.

“My husband helps me a lot. He is managing the business. He is dealing with logistics, and I work on the gowns”, she said, adding that she was inspired to become a designer in Florence. Maria and her husband got married in the Italian city, and it was here that her fashion ideas started to appear.

Maria Grigoryan left Armenia 15 years ago. “We wanted to visit [Armenia] this year but our plans changed because we were expecting a baby”, she said.

Mellardi had a large fashion presentation on November 2, 2017 in a LA Lamborghini dealership.  “Lamborghini sponsored us. We had more than 450 guests, more than 40 media. The second presentation took place after a month. The famous Crown Of Light Diamond collaborated with us here”, she said.

Maria is due to have another presentation in the upcoming LA Fashion Week on March 13. The event will take place in the city’s Sky Line Loft.

“Basically this a local fashion week based in Los Angeles. That’s been running for several years. It’s a trade show and runway presentation for viewing complete collections of upcoming seasons from major fashion designers and national brands. They called us and they are obsessed with our designs. So basically they asked us to show our stuff on their runway and they are having celebrity hosts media coverage. They are expecting LA’s most fashionable crowd, celebrities, magazine editors, celebrity stylists, news media, and many fashion photographers,” the fashion designer told ARMENPRESS.

Grigoryan added that Mellardi continues creating excusive dresses and the fashion house will soon have boutiques in Sherman Oaks and Beverly Hills.








youtube

AIM banner Website Ad Banner.jpg (235 KB)

All news    


Digital-Card---250x295.jpg (26 KB)

12.png (9 KB)

About agency

Address: Armenia, 22 Saryan Street, Yerevan, 0002, Armenpress
Tel.: +374 11 539818
E-mail: [email protected]