Elisa Trombatore on the value of made-to-measure in fashion design

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to prove that pink can be powerful, that feminine can be feminist. It’s unsettling to think that in our society, for a woman to look strong and ambitious, she still has to hide her femininity by dressing in a man’s jacket. To me, nothing looks more powerful than a woman in lingerie,” Elisa notes on the importance of this colour choice. The designer cites her Sicilian heritage as a catalyst for her evident interest in expressions of femininity, referencing her experience of womanhood which has proven to have been something both “totally submissive” and “powerfully passionate.” Any preconceived contradictions in these terms are what Elisa seeks to subvert through her designs.

“My personal experience with pole dancing is used to subvert the female gaze and express the core values that soak through the tissue of my collections.” – Elisa Trombatore

Her debut presentation featured much of this conflation between traditional understandings of femininity and power. The models, wearing Elisa’s garments, bear a resemblance to a post-apocalyptic ballet troupe. Within the interior of what appears to be a decaying Victorian manor, pink tulle and chiffon meet scissors and warpaint. Despite the apparent restriction of certain garments, the models move freely through the space, dancing.

The ability for Trombatore’s models and customers to move and express themselves comfortably is essential to the ‘DREAMING ELI by Elisa’ ethos. Again, the attention to movement and expression returns to the same themes of sexuality and femininity that inspire Elisa’s use of pink. Elisa’s personal experimentation with pole dancing is a central inspiration where movement and garment construction is concerned: “My personal experience with pole dancing is used to subvert the female gaze and express the core values that soak through the tissue of my collections.”

“Made-to-measure allows me to design on specific proportions, creating clothes that are moulded on that body and that will then look beautiful in different ways when adapted to different body shapes.” – Elisa Trombatore

Dance affords her work with the addition of comfort for the wearer. Despite implementing corsets, bodysuits and voluminous fabric, Trombatore ensures that the garments allow their wearer freedom. The designer opts for light materials such as tulle, and where corsetry is used, she furnishes the garment with strategically placed cut-outs to allow for comfort. Elisa believes that the role of the physical body is pivotal to meaningful design yet, she notes that it is “often undervalued.” Due to this, she opts for a made-to-measure service rather than a standardised sizing system. “This allows me to design on specific proportions,” says Elisa, “creating clothes that are moulded on that body and that will then look beautiful in different ways when adapted to different body shapes.”

How then does a designer like Elisa ensure that each garment adapts perfectly to the wearer? “There are two central initial phases when designing a garment,” she explains, “the work on the fabric and the work on the body.” She continues by adding that every collection begins with a set of emotions that she wishes to translate into garments. Therefore the most natural way to start the garment is to work the fabric with her hands until that specific feeling is captured.

“After graduating, I spent the first months applying to anything and everything. I felt that it was fundamental to look for opportunities everywhere.” – Elisa Trombatore

Whilst the importance of sensuality is central to Trombatore’s process so is a palpable sense of business savvy. Elisa carried out her undergraduate degree in Milan in 2013 on a BA Fashion course at NABA, then worked her way through Central Saint Martins beginning with the Fashion Folio Course Elisa then continued through the Graduate Diploma, finally concluding with her MA. After finishing her master’s in womenswear at Central Saint Martins last spring, she began her own business in June 2021. Trombatore notes that upon graduating from CSM, she felt equipped creatively to begin designing collections. The greater challenge faced then was the business side of affairs. Elisa combatted this new challenge with determination and the pursuit of opportunity, in fact, it was through this determination that Elisa was included in the Discovery Lab program. “After graduating, I spent the first months applying to anything and everything. I felt that it was fundamental to look for opportunities everywhere. Graduating from CSM opens a lot of doors but only if you are determined to create opportunities for yourself.”

“As an emerging brand, you have to take care of all the stages of the presentation – both digital and physical – while working on the collection’s designing and production.” – Elisa Trombatore

However, the pressures associated with this particular opportunity (Discovery Lab) presented Elisa with a new set of challenges. “As an emerging brand, you have to take care of all the stages of the presentation – both digital and physical – while working on the collection’s designing and production. It has been amazing to see how many amazing creatives have collaborated and supported the project because they believe in its vision. However, the responsibilities and workload that this process involves have ultimately all been on me, of course, and managing it all has been the most challenging part.”

Elisa Trombatore seeks to continue both aspects of her business as she works towards her future, which she assures us, will be bright. “I’m aware I still have a very long way to go, but I look forward to climbing it: after all, as my career is just beginning, the best is yet to come.” Elisa’s penchant for both the sensual and the ambitious seem perfectly aligned with the ‘DREAMING ELI by Elisa’ brand ethos and it is apt that her belief in the power of pink extends also, to herself.