ZELLA MACHADO
Name: Bruna Santana Age: 22 Location: Miami, FL School: University of Florida - Hough Graduate School of Business Company Name: Zella Machado, LLC Company Website: www.zmswim.com
Q. What inspired you to create swimwear? A. My grandmother, Zella Machado has been a seamstress for about 45 years. She showed me a suit I fell in love with. We decided to start a swimwear company. Q. When you are coming up with designs, what is your process like? A. My grandmother and I spent about a month researching all different styles of bathing suits. After we have gathered a collection of about a thousand different styles we begin to create new and innovative styles. Once the collection is drawn, I take a trip down to the fabric house. I spend about 3-4 hours selecting the different colors I think will go well with the styles we have created. After the skeleton is made I cut strips of the fabric combination that I like and attach it to its respective design. Zella then produces the samples. Once all the samples are made we screen them and decide which styles will end up in the final collection. Q. Do you you think you would expand in other clothing? A. We will definitely expand into gowns, wedding dresses and shoes. Q. What was one of your most memorable pieces you have created? A. We created a piece for every fashion show to represent our brand. The piece we created for Miami Beach International Fashion Week was one of the most memorable pieces of our collection. We named the bathing suit Zella. You can purchase Zella on our website: http://www.zmswim.com/#!__sexy-bombshell/ productsstackergallery0=0 . Q. If you had it your way, what store would you love to have your line in? A. Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus Q. What has been your most difficult issue with being a new swimwear company? A. Not attending school of design.
MODEL: model is wearing the “NA� by Zella Machado Swimwear which can be purchased at www.zmswim.com PHOTOGRAPHER: VINCENT PIERCE JEWELRY: www.lafeliciana.com
MEET THE DESIGNERS
FASHION READERS VOTED AND FIVE DESIGNERS PREVAILED