The modern day woman is all about sophistication, class, and comfortable fashion as she makes her way through the world with many titles to uphold. Ashley P Designs looks to create for the modern superwoman by adorning her in stunning, unique pieces that are fashion affordable and ready to wear. Modesty is the main theme in the style of clothing envisioning the lifestyle of the founder herself, Ashley Pecolia, who transitioned into this in November of 2010. Her vision on mixing rich textiles, quality high-end materials, and rich colors all helped capture the pieces in her Spring 2014 collection. These gorgeous pieces stand out in their original style and bold designs that Pecolia has become known for, landing her a place in New York Fashion Week. The designer’s passion and drive have helped her obtain numerous awards, including the 2013 Fashion Awards MD nomination in the Emerging Clothing Designer category. She has quickly become an upcoming fashion designer to keep an eye on with a collection most certainly different and eye-catching to many fashion lovers.
Cliché: What trends have been your inspiration for your Spring 2014 line?
Ashley Pecolia: I really don’t follow trends, but I mainly follow colors, like this past collection for Spring 2014—a lot of gold, bright colors, and yellow. You’ll see that online. I try to keep color in every season that I have. I just don’t like doing the traditional colors; I want to do something different, like the gold. So I try to incorporate something flamboyant to stand up the different solids. The gold material is handmade from India, so they bead everything on there.
Do you have a favorite piece in the line?
It’s just so hard to choose, but I have to say I think it’s the gold and white dress I’ve made. It’s perfect for the summer. Of course, you can get it lined, because right now it’s just chiffon, and chiffon you can see through, but I could just see it as something you can throw on to a beach, over a bathing suit or something. But I just like it because it can go either for a night or a day look. That is definitely a dress for the summer, definitely for [being] outside under the sun.
I love the simple modesty of your brand while still being comfortable, trendy, and in season. What does the Ashley P woman wearing your designs embody?
I actually changed a few things when I redefine how I define modesty, because there are very different levels: you have the nun-type of modesty, but then you have the regular, go-meet-your-boyfriend’s-parents type of modesty. That’s more of what I’m aiming for, but I just really want to make clothes that let women respect themselves. I don’t want them to think you have to sell your body to the image of what society is doing today, especially with what the pop singers or rappers are doing. This is a different generation who have changed a lot, and I think we need to redefine what we’re actually doing and not just go off on a deep end; [we should] keep some of what our ancestors made. I just want to make something that is comfortable as well as beautiful and be just one article of clothing you can just match up with anything in your closet; you can just dress it up easily. That’s something I want to do.
What do you think makes your designs stand out?
Really, I think what makes my designs stand out—besides the message in my clothing or behind the clothing—is my passion and drive. I do a lot of thinking before I do designing. I have to imagine it on a woman’s body, how it moves, and everything. My signature fabric, I would say, is chiffon. I use chiffon every season and it’s something that I love, especially the movement when the wind is blowing. I’ve always just wanted people to know that if you see one of my pieces you know it’s mine, especially with the prints or types of fabric I have. I think that’s also what makes me different: it’s just the fabric that I have and how I like to infuse different fabrics with it, like the gold and the white. They play off each other.
Do you have any hopes or dreams for your brand to meet in the future?
Usually everyone always says, “Oh, I want to be in New York Fashion Week,” but I’m like, “I’ve already done that.” My ultimate goal is to be in Nordstrom. I just want to see people wearing my clothing. That’s enough satisfaction for me. It’s just people are actually paying attention to me. So that’s my goal: to get into Nordstrom. It will be a great compliment to my clothing and their store.
Interested in purchasing some Ashley P Designs of your very own? Visit www.apforwomen.com
Photos credited to Ashley P Designs and Salyse Photography.
