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The dish with … Gino Velardi, fashion designer

By Lesley Kennedy

After suffering a stroke at a young age in 2006, Gino Velardi found his fashion design dreams were put on hold.

The stroke left Velardi, a Colorado native, paralyzed on his left side for a few months.

“But with physical therapy and hope, I overcame,” he says. “And with that came an enormous appreciation for my talent and a new outlook on life.  My only thought during that horrible experience was that my designing days were over.  It was a huge scare but now I don’t take anything for granted.”

Velardi will host his first fashion show since the stroke on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at Invesco Field. A portion of ticket sales will benefit Dress for Success Denver. Expect to see 100 looks including glamorous cocktail dresses, evening apparel, suits, coats and a new line of custom-designed handbags.

Charlie Price, Shear Genius star and co-owner of Click Salon, and his team of experts will style hair and makeup. The Patrick Emerine Band and DJK2 will provide entertainment. Tickets are $40 for general admission sections, $65 for second row and $85 for front row VIP seating. Purchase tickets now through Nov. 11 (or until sold out) at GinoVelardi.com.

A self-taught designer, Velardi says he got his start in fashion design after being exposed to Denver’s art world.

“Visiting galleries and appreciating amazing works of art, I decided to venture into my own idea of art, and that was clothing design,” he says. “I actually didn’t think clothing design was considered a form of art, but I was corrected by some artist friends and found we all go through the same process. With determination and being self-taught, it was a long road, but worth the experience.”

Here’s more on his career, inspirations and what the future holds.

On getting interested in fashion design: My first inkling into fashion came through my mother. She was always dressed to the nines. No matter where she went, she had her outfit put together from head to toe.  Big hair — with wigs and hair pieces, thick shaped eyebrows, painted nails and she jogged in heels.  She said a real woman never lets herself go un-noticed.  Then once she showed me a fashion magazine…That was it!

On deciding to make fashion a career: I started doing small gallery showings, going off the theme of the event — basically doing costuming.  With time, I started creating clothing that was fun and wearable.  With gained experience, I put together my first full fashion show that showcased my idea of glamorous clothing, such as cocktail dresses and gowns.  From that point, I knew what style I wanted to portray and the kind of image I wanted for myself, and from there, I started getting small orders and focused on transforming my hobby into a career.

On his typical client: My client is a woman who is confident in herself, expresses her own style of beauty and is unapologetically sexy.

On his designs: My designs range from fun and flirty to elegant and sexy.  I design for all women.  I keep my sister, mother and grandmother in mind while I create a collection.  I have garments that all of them can choose from.  I don’t want to limit myself to one style or demographic.  I focus on bringing a woman’s “true self” out — meaning, every woman has a certain level of sex appeal and beauty, and I enjoy bringing that out of them by designing something they will wear with confidence, that is comfortable and is expressing themselves in a way they never thought they would normally.

On finding his designs: Most of my work is custom-made garments.  People have a tendency to think specially made items are expensive, but with me, it’s the same prices you would find in a boutique or high-end department store.  I keep prices reasonable, probably too reasonable, for my clients.  A skirt you would buy at Saks or Neiman’s, I can make for you to fit your body perfectly and women love having that level of attention.  It’s almost couture — everything from the sketch to fittings to the final product. I always say, I’d rather they mention my name on what they are wearing.

I schedule a consultation with the client, discuss the need and the design of the garment and from there we start the process of creating a garment that reflects her desire and my vision.  It’s a collaboration and an experience that every woman loves.

On finding inspiration: I get inspired by music!  All kinds.  I’ve always been a big lover of music. I grew up with every generational exposure to music within my family. When I started design, I was obsessed with fashion shows and imagined what kind of clothes I would see walking down the runway to a specific genre of music.  I’ve watched thousands of fashion shows on TV and always turned down the volume and played my own music to the show.  I love every style of music from every decade. It’s very inspirational to my creativity!

On what’s next: My next goal after the show is to gain more clients and possibly open a boutique in Cherry Creek.  I hesitated in opening a store before because I didn’t want to be anchored down — just in case I had an opportunity to leave for the coast for some exciting project or something. But with high demand from people wanting to know where I sell my designs, I think that’s my next goal and we’ll see where that takes me.

20 QUESTIONS WITH GINO VELARDI

1. My go-to outfit: A great pair of jeans and a stylish fedora hat (so I don’t have to do my hair) … then I build the rest of the outfit around that.

2. Guilty pleasure: I watch The Golden Girls all the time. It’s a pick-me-up-er, especially when I just need to laugh.

3. My theme song would be: There are so many songs I love, I can’t just pick one.  Plus, it totally depends on my mood at the time.

4. Beauty products I can’t live without: I’m obsessed with skin care products. I love Biolabs instant wrinkle releaser, Dermitage anti-aging skin cream and L’Oreal Genesis eye cream and lip plumper.

5. I get my hair cut by: I actually cut my own hair.  My mother use to cut hair and she always gave me the worst haircuts, so I quickly learned to cut my own hair.  I know hairstylists are gasping!

6. Hidden talent: I like to ballroom dance and I always hesitate to say this, but I sometimes do Elvis impersonations — total amateur, but I did a couple of parties for fun.  With a few cocktails, of course!

7. Must-see TV: I love watching South Park, ghost hunting shows, Forensic Files and Chelsea Lately.

8. Best advice my mother ever gave me: Always be conscious of your appearance — you never know who you might run into!

9. I’m now reading: Does Vogue count?  Not a big reader.

10. My perfect meal: I love hors d’oeuvres!  Little mini-meals.  My favorite is pepperoni, mozzarella cheese slices and crackers with olive oil — pomodoro style.   I eat that all the time.

11. My best vacation: My best vacation was to the Bahamas:  A group of friends and I rented part of an island for two weeks.  It was only us, the sun and the sea … it was amazing

12. I wish I had more time to: Vacation!  I love visiting new places.  I have a list of places I want to visit. The next is Greece or Egypt.

13. I can’t start my day without: Not a big coffee drinker, so I would have to say that I listen to music while I’m getting ready for the day. It gets me in the right mood.

14. Favorite jeans: Actually, my favorite jeans came from Target.  You don’t have to buy expensive jeans to make a statement. It’s all about how you wear them.

15. Must-have accessory: A great pair of sunglasses or stylish watches — love them!

16. Favorite designer: My favorite designer is Valentino.  I love so many designers for different reasons, but Valentino is my style — mixed with a little Versace for sexiness!

17. Best bargain I’ve ever scored: I purchased this great Versace leather coat for the season and the price was marked wrong, so I got it for 75 percent off. The customer’s always right!

18. Favorite movie: My favorite movie is The Cotton Club — love the decade of the ’30s glamour.

19. Favorite color: Although black and white are the absence of color…black is my favorite.  But if I had to pick an actual color, it would be red or brown.

20. Signature scent: Envy cologne by Gucci

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