Melbourne, Florida
Sportswear
I started designing when I was 8 years old; I’d take my giant yellow envelope of drawings everywhere in case inspiration hit. I wanted to make the things I thought up, so I taught myself patternmaking. I was lucky enough to have a fashion design class at my high school, which was not very common for a surfer town in Florida. I wasn’t able to make it to New York straight out of high school, so I kept home designing and sewing. When my husband got deployed to Bahrain for a year, I took it as my last shot and drove to New York. I worked until I got into FIT, and I feel it has really let me find myself as a designer. I consider my aesthetic to be structured bohemian with an alternative edge. I focus on details and really try to push myself as far as construction goes.
Website: https://kathleenbilellodesign.squarespace.com
Instagram: katiebilello
