More to fashion than glamour

From a very early age, Mary Grace Pisani was fascinated by the way a pencil turned her imagination into an explosion of colourful twists and turns on a sheet of paper.

This spelt disaster when her early works took shape on the walls of her family home, as aged four she sought to redecorate her unimaginative surroundings into bright murals.

Just as precocious was her fascination with her mum’s sewing and her sister’s ability to turn fabric into a garment that she wore on the very same day. Having a pastry chef for a dad sealed her fate. She was destined to a creative future.

As Pisani grew, so did her passion for designing and crafting her own clothes as well as her keen interest in interior design.

She considers her early years to have been fundamental to her creative development and cannot imagine life without an opportunity for artistic expression.

Today, as a mother of three, she juggles family time with her constant desire to design practically anything, and this spans an incredible range – from curtains to haute couture. Her forays into curtain design led to her publishing two books about the subject, attracting international interest in this aspect of her work.

As Pisani’s passion for fashion blossomed, she realised it would take determination, sacrifice and hard work to make the leap to commercial success. Her breakthrough finally happened in 2011 when she launched her first collection.

While she believed in her creations, she was not prepared for the fabulously favourable reception, as the press and online community reacted with enthusiasm and praise to her first public appearance.

This year, the Fersani Spring/ Summer collection was presented to an enthralled audience at an event held at the Maria Rosa Vineyards in Attard. The collection was inspired by nature’s colours and textures, all coming together in the form of intricately crafted garments with a meticulous attention to detail and highly original techniques, some of which were created specifically for this collection.

Pisani’s passion has attracted significant attention, including the opportunity to design a dress for the Prime Minister’s wife Michelle Muscat.

Pisani’s expectations for the future are charmingly unassuming. She prays for the gift to keep up her creative output.

She intends to develop her talent further, and to build on her mental and physical ability to design garments that are as unique as her clients are. And she wants to do all this while devoting time to her growing family.

The glamorous aspect of fashion is evident ons the pages of fashion magazines and websites.

Yet there is little out there to hint at the incredible sacrifice needed to achieve the wonderful dream Pisani feels so blessed to be achieving.

Visit http://fashionweek.com.mt/fersani-collection/ to read what fashion experts had to say about this season’s Fersani collection.