FOUNDER
About
I am the founder and creative director of a vintage designer shoe brand built from a five year personal archive and deep passion for collecting and preserving iconic shoes. What began as a curated collection evolved into a fully realized brand rooted in storytelling, rarity, and timeless design.
In addition to sourcing and curating every pair, I lead all creative direction including brand identity, packaging design, and visual storytelling. I launched my first official drop this year, successfully selling out 36 pairs, and have since expanded through curated pop ups and markets, building a growing community around the brand.
This project is both a creative outlet and a long term vision bridging fashion, archival curation, and modern brand building.
CREATIVE
CUSTOMIZATION/ BRANDING
The branding for Bella Tesoro is rooted in vintage romanticism, femininity, and personal heritage. The visual identity blends references from 1950s magazines ads and vintage cartoon aesthetics, resulting in a logo that feels both chic and subtly playful, with a sensual, editorial edge.
A key motif throughout the brand is the orchid, chosen as a tribute to my grandmother, who loved them. The orchid represents femininity, delicacy, and beauty, and appears across the packaging and visual language as a signature seal. This element reinforces the idea of each piece as rare and treasured.
The brand’s color palette is inspired by vintage orchid postage stamps, giving it a soft, nostalgic, and slightly faded romantic feel that ties back to archival ephemera and collected memory. There is an alternative color pallet of red, butter, yellow, & off white that was used for the fall drop as the tones were darker and cozier.
Packaging was designed as an extension of the brand world, including custom shoe boxes and branded stickers, creating a cohesive unboxing experience that feels collectible, intimate, and intentional.
BRAND NAME
The brand is a reflection of both heritage and storytelling, inspired by my Italian roots and my immigrant grandmother who raised me.
The name Bella Tesoro, meaning “beautiful treasures,” speaks to the philosophy behind each pair every shoe is carefully sourced as a one of a kind piece with its own history, value, and presence.
Ecom
Role: Creative Director, Photographer, Site Creator/Editor, Stylist
Concept / Approach:
This project centered on elevating a selection of rare shoe pieces by building a narrative world around them. The shoot was designed as a modern summer poolside editorial, visually inspired by Palm Royale—blending luxury leisure with stylized character storytelling.
Each shoe became the foundation for a distinct persona, expressed through styling, color, and fabric details. The campaign followed three characters Miss Prada, Miss Blahnik, and Miss Chloe each representing a different aesthetic and attitude shaped by the materials and tones of their heels.
Rather than treating the shoes as standalone products, they were positioned as extensions of identity within a curated social setting, where fashion, personality, and environment merged into one cohesive visual story.
DECK:
POP-UP EVENTS
La Societe Vintage
I was a part of LA Society, a collective that brought together curated vintage vendors for a five day pop-up experience built around fashion, community, and discovery. The space blended retail with culture, highlighting rare vintage pieces in a highly styled environment that felt more like an editorial world than a traditional store.
We also hosted a VIP night with influencers and creatives, turning the pop up into a social moment as much as a shopping one focused on connection, styling, and storytelling around each piece.
BENI
I was also part of Beni Designer Market, a one day curated event focused on sustainability and conscious fashion, where independent designers and vintage sellers came together under a shared vision of intentional shopping. The experience highlighted pieces chosen for longevity, uniqueness, and styling versatility rather than trend driven consumption.
It was a space that emphasized quality over quantity, connecting buyers with garments that feel considered and timeless, while reinforcing the idea that sustainability and elevated design can exist in the same conversation.
Drop II Teasers
The second drop is inspired by the energy of New York City, bold, fast moving, and effortlessly iconic. Every piece feels like a moment you’d experience walking through downtown at night or stepping out uptown with confidence. It’s launching soon.
