São Paulo – The headgear designed by Graciella Starling has already captured the attention of celebrities in Brazil and around the world. The brand was established twelve years ago, and Starling works on appointment at her studio on Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima in São Paulo. Pictured above, one of Starling’s creations.
“Millinery is the art of making hats without large machinery, all manual, in blocks of wood, very traditional. It’s hat tailoring,” said Starling to ANBA.
The Minas Gerais native is of Scottish descent and studied traditional English millinery in London and took related courses in Barcelona and Paris. “The name Starling has a whole story behind it; it is the name of a bird from the city of Stirling in Scotland. The bird is the brand’s logo,” said the milliner.
She calls her craft ‘Haute millinery.’ “As far as haute couture is concerned, these are handmade pieces, valuing slow fashion. The brand seeks to reflect this essence of building classic, contemporary elements that are eternal,” she said.
For the milliner, the Arabs are interested in Brazilian products. Entering the Arab world was possible through a partnership with a Brazilian bridal designer of Lebanese descent, Lucas Anderi. “I showcased at several shows with him as an Arab world reference, he has a store in Lebanon, and that opened many doors to the Arab world because the parties there are very intricate and grandiose,” said Starling.
Maison Alexandrine, by fashion designer Alexandra Fructuoso, produces dresses, abayas, and hijabs for Muslim women among its items. At the 2018 Arab Fashion Week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the brand included Starling’s headwear.
The studio’s production is still small-scale, and there is no constant international demand, according to Starling, but occasional orders. “We have the project to make the brand global in 2023, initially, focusing on Europe, and in 2024, on the Arab countries, because we understand [the Arab] market drives luxury,” she said. Her main goal is to sell to the London-based department store Harrods.
Starling also mentioned Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as a potential market and seeks to sell in a department store in a mall there. “The Arab world absorbed a lot of English culture. In Dubai, there is a very famous horse race, and what revolves around the event for women is the glamour,” she said.
Some works have already been crafted exclusively for brides in the Arab world. “Brides in the Arab world take two years to get married; there is plenty of time. The advantage of this preparation model is the bride will make plans well in advance. And Lebanon has a millionaire marriage market,” she declared.
The milliner explained she is already endeavoring internationalization by creating three annual collections with casual and formal items. All replicable, exclusive collections are made in limited batches. “We call them numbered collections, so, for instance, we make two pieces for Brazil, three for Europe, and three for the Arab world,” she said.
The raw inputs used in Starling’s studio are primarily sourced from outside Brazil, predominantly from the United Kingdom and Italy. “There are many techniques; each milliner works with a different one. English straw is very thin, easy to mold, and noble, fancy material, for a party look or a wedding, for example,” she said. The details in leather and fabric, she to have found them in Brazil.
The studio also has a line entirely made with local raw inputs from recycled materials to moriche palm straw and natural dyes. “It’s called the Green Line, intending to bring what the land offers us in the form of art, wearable art, the art of dressing,” she said.
Headwear from the casual line starts at BRL 1,200 (about USD 231 at the current rate). The formal line starts at BRL 2,800 (about USD 539), and the Couture line from BRL 4,000 (about USD 770). Starling works by appointment, Monday to Friday, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Contact
Graciella Starling – Alta Chapelaria
Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima 1811, Room 218
Edifício Palácio das Américas, Jardim Paulistano
São Paulo – SP
Instagram: @graciellastarling
Website: www.graciellastarling.com
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
