Behind the Scenes at the Nappi Studio

 

Hi Everyone,

My name is Rochelle Jahdi. I'm assisting Nappi in running the Nappi Clothing blog. As often as I can I'll be helping you see the what's what with Danny and Nappi Clothing. 

This week:

I'm going to show you a sneak peak into the behind the scenes of Nappi. I visited Danny while he was working hard on several current projects and fell in love with his creativity, his workspace and the amazing products he comes up with.

Every time I've gone to Nappi Clothing studio's I've found something to photograph! Whether it's simply Danny working, sewing away on one of his many sewing machines...

Or his adorable cat who is almost always taking up his desk chair...

Hope you enjoyed this small peak into the workings of Nappi Clothing! Check back weekly for more updates up new Nappi Product, Tips and Events.

Nappi Fashion Ad

Nappi Fashion from Matthew Butler on Vimeo.

nappi update

so there are a lot of fun things going on right now with nappi I thought I would catch you all up. I am getting ready for two fashion shows, Fashion Night Out with IN This Week, and Art Meets Fashion. Both these shows will show new stuff from nappi and will also show my versatility with designing. I plan to have dresses, coats, and jeans that have never been seen before. I am very excited for both of these shows I hope you can all make it. FNO is at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake on 9.23.2011, AMF is in october I will update the info when I get it.

We are developing new styles of denim for men and women and will begin the production on them in the next few weeks.

Men will see more fit options, we will introduce a skinny that tappers at the ankles, a selvage denim that is a relaxed fit, and a new slim fit straight leg drop pocket design in a stretch denim. With all the men jeans we have innovated many new features that enhance the fit of the denim. As nappi is know for its simplistic styling, top of the line materials, unmatched quality in the construction, and the perfect fit just got better. Nappi is without question the best all around denim on the planet.

For the women we will see the much anticipated twill skinny in a variety of colors, the samples of these jeans have been featured in a number of fashion shows and have been the clear favorite of all the models. I haven't yet picked the colors but possible will see black, gray, electric blue, and mustard yellow. We will also be introducing a skinny in a stretch denim, and a new slim fit straight leg drop pocket design in a stretch denim.

We will also be reproducing the very popular Silvio mens and Marcella womes in the Italian Denim as that has been without question the most popular jeans we have ever made for men and women. We will be taking these jeans around to stores in the major fashion markets and work to have a strong national distribution channel as well as online.

thanks for all your support and hope to see you at the upcoming fashion shows

Know Your Body Type will be an informative discussion about body types because we all have one and you have your parents to thank for your body type, and although there is nothing you can do to change your genetics, there are things you can do
to improve your look. We here at nappi want to teach you how to identify your body type, and how to dress to flaunt your assets and achieve the best possible you! All shapes, sizes, and ages welcome.

We will help you:
identify your body type
teach you the principles of how to dress your body type
show you examples of good and bad body type dress
show you which colors you should and shouldn’t wear
face structure and how to style your hair to suit you
current and upcoming spring and summer trends

The event will be hosted by, Danny Nappi owner and designer of nappi clothing. Nichole Johnson who has a degree from FIDM will show us examples of body types and help everyone identify their own body type wether: triangle, inverted triangle, hourglass, rectangle, or balanced. Erin Olson certified stylist will show us how to dress for our body type, teaching us the principles of achieving a balanced look and colors based on skin tone. Ulysses salon will be on hand to show us which hair style best fits our face structure, and how to style our hair to improve the look of our face. Finally we will hear form Jen Clyde who is a celebrity stylist, about upcoming and current fashion trends and styles to help us as we begin to by for summer.

I decided to do this event because I see so many women not only not dressing right for their body type but getting is badly wrong. This can add 10 to 15 pounds to your appearance and highlight the wrong parts of the body. Every women needs to know this information especially as we head into summer where you can't simply hide behind a big coat.

Join us tuesday the 21st of june at 7pm at 623 S State St click on the pay now button below to sign up and we will see you there.

drop down for boutiques

Option 1 $20.00 Option 2 $50.00

Name of Attendee

Lets talk about Bling and flair

I hate Bling! now before you get mad I do understand that just because it isn't my style it may be yours. The only real problem I have with bling other than I hate it is when some one wears it when it isn't conducive to their body type. Someone who is a triangle meaning the hips are wider than the bust, should not wear jeans with rhinestones, crystals, flaps, buttons, heavy stitching, or anything else that might draw unwanted attention to the butt area. A triangle body type should look to draw attention upward to the neck and face while trying to create weight on the bust and shoulders area to give a more balanced look. The bust and shoulders area is where the bling and such should be concentrated, that is if you must wear it at all.

Now let us switch gears a bit and address the problem with flair. Flair to me is are accessories, things like big earrings, flashy belts, sunglasses, scarves, bags, bright shoes, feathers in the hair, bracelets, rings, hats, and the like. Now there is only one place I can think of where wearing all these at once would fit in and that would be in a show with Paris Hilton, other than that lets cool it a bit. From a guys perspective this is a dangerous girl who wears so much flair, she would quickly categorize herself as "high maintenance" so if that is what you want then go for it. In my opinion pick one to two pieces of flair and let your personality be seen. A tee shirt and jeans kind of girl is so attractive, just simple and cute and easy to talk to. Massive amounts of flair are sensory overload and can make it look like you are trying to hide yourself behind a very flashy facade. There is nothing more appealing than a girl who has the confidence to just be herself. As for the guys this applies to you too.

Capri's are bad

I know it is warming up, but that is no reason to start wearing capri's!!!! Let me explain, There are girls out there that can wear capri's, however they are few and far between. The problem with capris is where they stop, it is on the biggest part of the calves. Just as a general rule you never want an article of clothing to stop it your bodies biggest part. If you want to wear capri's ask your self this question "are my calves the smallest part of my legs?" if not don't wear them. In my opinion there are really only three places shorts or capri's can stop and they are: short meaning upper thigh (this is dangerous so be careful), next is right below the knee cap (NOT JUST ABOVE THE KNEE CAP) I realize the cultural significance to shorts being knee length and think that just because that is the longest they can be they shouldn't be. Just below the knee is generally the smallest part of the leg just before the calves began, so end your shorts there. Also side note, get shorts that tapper because it will improve the silhouette, this is important because shorts that are baggy never look good for girls or guys. Lastly the desirable ending point is at the ankle (assuming of course that it is the smallest part of the leg, and it usually is). This is often called floods and it can be done well and it can be done badly. Some hints if you go with floods don't wear socks, or wear a short ankle boot again with no or low socks. In all these options it is important to know your body type and what things you can wear well and what you should avoid, some body types should never wear shorts, capri's, floods, tapered jeans and the like. If you don't know your body type or need more info we are holding a fashion event on the 21st of June and we will be talking in depth about body types, the do's and don'ts and current and upcoming styles, it will be very informative. click the link to reserve your spot.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132948666781468

Body Type seminar

On June 21st Tuesday we will be holding a seminar about body types, and how to dress that body type. As of lately I have noticed this to be a big problem with girls, and not just of girls not dressing right, but actually doing it horribly wrong.

I was at a party and I was assuming my usual position against the wall unimpressed with the whole situation, and my mind began to fixate on girls as it usually does. This time however it was different, I began to notice how most girls would look a lot better if they dressed properly. I noticed one girl in particular who had the body type of a triangle (meaning that her hip measurement is bigger than her bust and she has a small waist) and in this particular situation I would not say that her hips were by any means big. My attention was immediately drawn to her hips however, because of what she was wearing, skinny jeans that tapered at the bottom and large rhinestones on the back pocket. To top it off she was wearing a tank top that was tight at the top and was bunched up over the top of the jeans. So all in all this was the exact opposite of what she should have done when getting dressed. Lets analyze, so to start the triangle body type should never under any circumstances ever, ever, wear tapered skinny jeans, they makes your but look much bigger than it is. Second don't put shinny rhinestones on the part you want to minimize, one can't help but stare at them as I did with this girl. Thirdly because the purpose is to looked balanced wearing a tank top makes the shoulders appear smaller and consequently draws more attention to the hips, and then to bunch up the shirt creates weight in the single area you don't want weight. So what should she have done? First get a good fitting pair of dark jeans that are slightly flared or my personal favorite the straight leg, this will help slim and add balance to the figure, and the dark denim will appear smaller. Next wear something on top that is ruffled, this will add weight to the top where she needed it. If you want to wear something a bit more casual then wear a v-neck shirt or scoop neck this will help draw attention up to the face and down to the bust and not to the shoulders. The other important thing about this body type is that usually the bust is smaller so a good fitting bra will do wonders to improve the over all figure. A cardigan is great also to add weight to the top and balance out the figure. A couple things to keep in mind don't let the cardigan or shirts stop at the widest part of the hips, you never want something to stop at its widest part that goes for sleeves, shorts, caprice, shirts, coats, and the like.

For more info on the body types attend our seminar we will be going over all the types and help you identify which type you are, and how to dress for it. We will also have hair stylists from Ulysses to talk about face structure and which hair style is best for you. It will be a very informative seminar that 90% of women need.

To reserve your spot click on the link and pay the $20 and we will see you there. You can come day of but the price will be $30 and we are capping the number of attendees at 150 people so it would be advantageous to pay the fee and get your name in early.

thanks

Name of Attendee

Mind Blow

The world seemed to agree and I took notice, the subtle nod of approval was all I needed to posture myself in a thankful manner. The infinite magnitude in which I was dealing would have been enough to simultaneously explode every cell in my body, but not today for I am equipped with Nappi denim. A pair of jeans so perfect that it is said to "blow the mind" which is dangerous I know so a certain amount of caution is required when wearing nappi. I often ask myself which is worse a complete and instantaneous cellular explosion or a blow of the mind, both have lasting implication. When it comes right down to it I will take a blow of the mind, and only because it is recoverable and a cellular explosion is not. A blow of the mind is also necessary in achieving infinite wisdom, when the mind is blow and recovers you attain a certain resistance to future mind blows and that is progress.

I get asked all the time "what is nappi" and I have always struggled to provide the answer, I say things like "I am the personification of nappi", but really what does that even mean. For this reason I have been putting a lot of thought into "what is nappi", and this is what I have come up with so far. Nappi is a unique brand for the person who wants to be unique without standing out, Nappi blushes when all eyes are on it, or can stand confident when placed on the spot, but with ether case nappi is sure of it's function and able to perform it without hesitation. Nappi is intellectual and calculated like a renaissance man or woman who excels in many different fields of understanding. Nappi is instantly loved upon meeting and forgotten just as fast. It is this idea of being forgotten that really sets nappi apart. It is the idea that Nappi doesn't make the wearer cool, the wearer is cool and so it wears nappi. Being loved instantly is about how you look on the outside an area that nappi has covered, but being forgotten is key because upon leaving it is the personality of the wearer that is remembered not what they were wearing. That is why nappi seeks out the leader of leaders the one who is educated, calculated, confident, an intellectual, and one who doesn't look to other to justify ones status or appearance. Nappi can handle any situation with poise, composure, and confidence. Never looks to make a fool in front, but leads the leader from the back. So with all that said ask yourself, are you nappi, because I am.

A moment to reflect

It's hard to see how far you have come when you are so deep in the day to day. I have been doing this clothing business for about 6 years now and have build quite a brand. I get so overwhelmed with what I am doing and with where I want to be that I forget to just enjoy the moment. So if I look at what I have it looks like this: Nappi clothing a successful clothing brand that has been at the forefront of fashion in Utah. We have created jeans that will stand up to any jean in the world with respect to fit, quality, style, and fashion. We have been to LA Fashion Week, been featured in Womens Wear Daily, Been on every news outlet in Utah T.V. and print, Featured in the hit MTV show "The Hard Times of R.J. Berger", and Celebrity gifting lounge during Sundance Film Festival, just to name a few. Not to mention all the celebrities and bands that wear nappi and love it. Facade Boutique a clothing store offering such brands as Nappi, Wild Fox, Free People, Current Elliott, and many more. Offside Apparel and Print, where we screen print for businesses, clothing companies, and individuals. All these businesses are successful and performing well, and while I am a long ways away from where I will be I am happy to be where I am. I also teach a class on Production and product development right now at the Salt Lake Community College Fashion Institute and am having a blast doing that. I think the most important thing one can do is what one is doing right now. And right now I am enjoying life. So thanks for all the support from all of you, with your help we will get all the way to the top.

Feb 17, 2009

This is a journal post from Feb 17, 2009 during a particularly difficult time.

I sit here at the DMV waiting for Steven to get his registration current so he can get his car out of impound. I am scheduled to go to LA today and drop off the money for the LA Fashion Week runway show which is costing me $5,000. I had the money for the show coming from a guy named Russell but that just fell through.

Sundance Film Festival is now over and what a crazy time that was. I sponsored, promoted and threw a party at a huge mansion during the single largest annual event in Utah. The party was a huge success a lot of people came and had a blast. We gave away hundreds of scarves and had a big runway show. I also did the GBK celebrity gifting lounge where I met and introduced a lot of celebrities to Nappi, I gave away scarves and jeans, they all seamed very appreciative. I also hooked up the David Archuleta Band with nappi clothing they all loved it, I hope David and the band wear it on stage.

I sent out a text to friends who have the money to invest I am desperate at this point I have committed to do the show at this point and am supposed to be on my way to LA to sign the contract and pay the money. Jeff one the initial investors wrote back unable to work it out. So if it doesn't happen then it wasn't meant to be, it seams like a great opportunity, but maybe the time just isn't right.

Feb 18, 2009

So the day ended and I didn't find the money however after getting Steven taken care of at the DMV I went home and prayed I asked if I should just forget about the show and not do it, but I didn't feel good about that route so I laid on my bed to ponder. 30 Minutes later I thought I could probably pull together $1000 for a deposit and get the rest later. I presented that to the Lord and felt good about that like it will all work out so I jumped up and grabbed the $700 in cash I had in my drawer and ran to the bank. With 5 minutes to spare I deposited the funds into the bank, faxed the contract to LA and hit the road. I asked for 2 weeks to deliver the remaining $4000 which I have no idea where that is going to come from. I'm not to worried about the $4K or the $5K i need to produce the clothing that will be featured in the show, the lord said go so I'm going. While in LA i met with the producers of the Fashion Show and dropped of scarves to GBK to be handed out to all the celebrities at the Oscars.

Feb 25,2009

It's raining outside I can hear it hitting the roof and the window. The sound is calming to me, I have always like the rain. So I still don't have the money I need to produce the show I met with a friend of mine and he gave me false hope, because in the end he said he couldn't do it. I did however have lunch with Brooke and she seemed excited to help. I met with her and Darin her husband late last night to discuss the $15,000 I needed, and at the end of the meeting Darin asked "so where do we go from here" I said "why don't you guys talk it over and call me tomorrow." It was agreed and I left. I was expecting a call today telling me they had a check and where to meet. Brooke texted me and asked if I had time for a conference call with her and Darin I said yes and here I wait for the news. I hope they come through this is my last hope my factory calls me all day wanting to know if I have the 40% to put down so production can begin. The scary thing is production on the samples has already begun I promised I would have the money because we don't have time to wait. Also 2 days ago I was featured on KSL Channel 5 news Amanda Buterfield came by the studio with a camera man and did a story about me going to LA Fashion Week which I still don't have the money to do. Some might think it is crazy to get this far in and cut it this close, but when you trust in the Lord you have to go with it. I hate seeing myself on TV but I think it went good.

The Dark Place

I have sat down on a number of occasions and watched a movie that by all standards i shouldn't have watched, such movies like "Requiem Dream", "Hostel", and Saw. At the end of these movie I reflected back with amazement at the fact that I actually sat through them and became a worse person for doing so. I recently watched "The Book of Eli" and while not a bad movie, but rather a great one I had a similar feeling after having watched it and after some refection on my feelings I wrote this poem.

"I was in a dark dark place very very far from home, a place not even the good spirit dare roam. A place where I was not alone for despite the darkness a path lit home. A path that I journeyed that day in the dark and not two steps in I came to the start. The place I began so long ago and on to the light light place I go."

Sunday May 1, 2010 project runway

A few weeks ago a friend called and told me that Project Runway call and got a hold of him and asked who the players were in Salt Lake fashion. He told them I was the guy to know, and gave them my contact info. I then received and email from Project Runway inviting me to apply and so I did. I filled out the 20 page questionnaire and the 3 minute video as well as some pictures of my clothing. I didn't put to much effort or thought into it, I wasn't sure I even wanted to do it. Despite my hesitation I mailed it in and forgot about it. About a week later I began getting a call from a strange number and like all strange numbers I avoided it. I avoided it twice till I got an email from the show telling me that they have been trying to get a hold of me and to please call!!! I called and the producer on the other line informed me that I made it to the semi-finals of season 8 Casting.

Sunday May 2, 2010

I drove to Seattle yesterday straight through a 12 hour trip. It was a cool drive I have never seen this part of the country. I arrived late last night with the perfectly sewn pieces to show the judges. This morning I walked around downtown Seattle and down to the dock for breakfast which is where I am right now at Ivar's Restaurant, I am heading back to the Hotel my interview is at 3:15pm. On the way back to the hotel I thought a lot about the show and how I didn't really feel like I fit with what they do, I don't do cocktail dresses I do denim and they seem to focus mostly on evening wear. I felt I had to a least see what happened, but I was going to be totally honest with them about my skills and abilities, I don't want to be on the show if I was going to get kicked off in the beginning I would rather not do than be a fashion looser.

I made my way to the hotel where they were holding the auditions and found the room where a hand full of designers were sitting with their clothing and filling out paperwork. I checked in and sat down and began filling out the paperwork myself all the while secretly checking out what all the other designers had in their collection. I wasn't to impressed with what I saw although I did see a lot of evening dresses. They told me I was next and I waited in anticipation they don't tell you anything about what to expect just to look for the tape and stand on it and face the judges. I stood out of the door with a guy with an ear piece who was communicating with the producers on the inside. He commented on my clothing as he Briefly looked through them and said how much he liked my denim and them asked if the jeans I was wearing were Nappi and told him yes and he had me turn around to see the back and asked where he could get a pair, just then he talks to his radio and "ok here we go" he grabed the door handle and said "here is Danny Nappi" he pulled the door open to reveal a room full of people and cameras. My heart began to race I walked through and felt my heart stop as I noticed Tim Gunn sitting at the table. I wasn't prepared for that. They had me introduce myself and talk a little bit about me as a designer. Then Tim asked me "why project Runway why now" I told him I hadn't ever planned on trying out of the show because I didn't have much experience with cocktail dresses and evening wear, and that I didn't want to do the show if I wasn't going to win because I didn't want to be a fashion looser. He seemed a little taken back by this, but agreed. We talked a bit more and Tim said my denim looked great and my line was a lot like diesel and very strong, but they were looking for more evening dresses, but that being said that I was a strong maybe. I thanked them and left the room and went back to my hotel room. I the end I wasn't selected, but was happy with how it all went it really wasn't for me if I would have had one cocktail dress I would have gotten on, but that is the scary part because you don't hear about the designers who don't win and I just don't want to take that kind of risk. The next morning I drove home 12 straight hours.

Missed my Flight

September 23, 2008

I missed my flight!!!! The LA traffic got the best of me I missed it by 15 min. I had to book a Jet Blue Flight for $300 plus the rental car for $90 and the $400 to get out there so all in all it wasn't worth it I should have just driven. Black Chandelier is getting better my stuff is selling even with the little notes left in the pockets of the nappi jeans that read "nappi eats babies" and "nappi sucks" Ha Ha the fan fare is great. I am still going crazy, but I am getting better at dealing with it. The time before my last LA trip where I missed my flight I drove to LA from Salt Lake a 10 hour drive and got to the factory to approve some samples of the denim and they told me they needed a little bit more time, so i went to the grove again and watched 2 movies then went back picked up the samples and drove home. Just so your clear thats 10 hours there 4 hours waiting and 10 hours back, now that's a day.

Into Black Chandelier I go

Sept 15 2008

Ok so a lot has happened sense my last post, I was offered the position of "do everything guy" at Black Chandelier a local clothing company, whose designer Jared Gold recently left for bigger and better things. I walked into an empty studio where about 20 people worked on a daily basis, whose job I now had to do. I had no idea what I was in for, no money, no help and all the expectation to succeed. The last of 4 stores at the Gateway mall in Salt lake City was not doing well, it was full of old product that never sold in the past 4 years. So as the designer it was my job to fill the store with clothing, and so I got to work. Up till now they had just been putting anything and everything they could find to fill the shelves. I was able to get some simple t-shirts and dresses made in our little cut and sew facility and out on the shelves for people to buy. We had a great August it was the best month of the summer, but September is so bad so far that any acclaim I may have gotten from August is long gone. I am losing my mind with everything that's going on. From the outside everything looks great, but on the inside I am going crazy. I am trying to design for a brand that has a very loyal following, unfortunately they are loyal to Jared Gold not Danny Nappi. I try to design how Jared would have, but i don't feel I am being loyal to myself and frankly I am not doing a very good job at it, my style is very different from that of Jared Gold. As I continue to lose my mind I find myself laughing at the whole situation, but not a funny laugh it's more of a keep from crying laugh.

I am currently sitting at the Grove in LA where the fountain I am sitting by just sprayed me and it felt good. I have a bad headache and am having trouble concentrating. I am waiting for my denim samples to be finished form the factory, then I catch a flight back to Salt Lake. I flew out this morning only to fly back this afternoon. What a day.

July 7, 2008

Well here I am at the end of the proverbial rope. Nappi has come a long way on nothing and can't go any further. I am in the negative in both my business and personal accounts. I have been dancing with negative balances for a while now paying fees for overdraft on a weekly basis. A roommate moved in a payed me $300 in rent which went to fund my trip to California to approve the denim samples, however it wasn't enough to get home in fact it barely got me there. I finished up the approval of the new jeans with Jianna and Gilberto at the factory and had no way of getting home. I went to my grand parents house with half a tank of gas and not even enough money to get something to eat. My Grand Parents were out of town and had nothing to eat so I went hungry. The next morning I went to the beach still not knowing how I was going to get home. I had to leave that day because I had a house closing and I had to sign the paper work. A friend wanted to invest in Nappi and we had agreed that he would deposit money in my account on Thursday, it was Thursday and he wasn't answering his phone. Out of desperation I called home and borrowed $150 form my mom, but because I was in the negative when she deposited it into my account the total came to $120, but regardless I was on my way. I drove through the night and when I got to beaver Utah I had half a tank and was falling asleep so I pulled into a gas station and got a redbull but my card was declined insufficient funds. I didn't have any money for gas and half a tank was going to be close. I got to Provo 40 miles away and the gas light went on. I barley made it home and 4 days later my car still sits in the garage empty. It is a strange feeling being completely out of money, things I used to do like eat became a luxury. I went to Sunday dinner at my parents house and was laughing at my dire financial situation and no sooner had we finished dinner that my dad discreetly handed me $20 dollars I was grateful then I turned around and my mom handed me $100 we and I laughed at the timing and and their attempts to be sneaky. The Lord has always given me what I needed, but he does make me wait will the last possible minute.

I was asked by stacy with Elite to provide swim suits for a fashion show they were doing. I agreed having never made a swim suit, but I was confident that I could pull it off. So he told his assistant to cancel Roxy and Quicksilver, wow the pressure was on. I had two week till the show and no idea how to make a swim suit. Not only did I not know how to make a bikini but I had no money for material and only two weeks to make 15 bikinis and 5 suits for guys. Again I called my friend who committed money and again he didn't come through. The following day I got a call from a friend I did some work for and he gave me $180 I was expecting $90 anyway the material cost came to $160 just enough.

Jan 19, 2008

The single greatest moment of nappi history happened today. As I stood in line for the bathroom at Mary Jane's a girl standing in the same line notices that I was wearing a pair of nappi jeans. She commented that she just bought a pair of nappi's in salt lake and absolutely loved them and said that they were her favorite jeans. It was nice to see someone wearing my jeans who I didn't know.

Dec 14, 2007

I am sitting in a restaurant in little Tokyo, where the atmosphere is nice, very clean with a hint of the old country. The bathroom is located down the hall where they store all the food boxes and where an old sink protrudes from the wall making the journey to the bathroom a bit more interesting. Little Tokyo is located in LA just east of the fashion district which is what brings me to LA in the first place. I am working on the mens jean. I came to approve the sample but am leaving without seeing the finished sample, I hope they get it right. I have had the woman's jeans done and in a few stores in Salt Lake for about 2 months now and they are selling good the response has been great. I am trying to get the mens jeans done because I am having a trunk show at Mary Jane's during the Sundance Film Festival.

the story

I had just returned from a 2 year mission to the Philippines and one of the first things I did was get introduced to my new room, at my parents house. As I walked in I noticed a duvet on my bed made from my old denim jeans, it was a patch work design of 6 inch squares all sewn together. I loved this duvet and used it every night. A few years went by and I decided it was time to move out, and my mother who made the duvet for me said it was mine while I lived here, but that I was not to take it with me when I moved out. I loved this duvet so I was a little mad and I said "fine I will make my own." This is the single act that started my life in fashion design. I went to the local thrift store and bought a 10 dollar sewing machine and made my own duvet, which I still use today. I quickly moved onto clothing after the duvet, altering all my clothing into something unique. I was always interested in being different from everyone else. I was still new to sewing and didn't really know what I was doing, I had only altered a few coats and jeans never did I make anything from scratch I was very intimidated in the beginning and never really thought I could do it. It was at this time that I faked my way into lovesac.
My roommates were doing the photography for Lovesac and had been asked if they knew anyone who could sew some things for them. They told them they had a roommate that could sew. I walked into the Lovesac headquarters and talked with their product designer, they showed me a few drawings and asked if I could sew them up for them and of course I said I could. I took the drawings home and freaked out not having a clue how to sew them together. I screwed up a lot but managed to sew them together and I took them back in and showed them to Heidi and Shawn and they loved them. They asked me if I wanted to come aboard and help Heidi with the product design, I said yes. I worked at lovesac for two years as the product designer and loved it I learned to sew and design while I was there. When I felt it was time to move on I quit and finished up my political science degree at the University of Utah and began doing Nappi full time. I started by making clothes anything form dresses, to shirts, and bags. I had yet to make a pair of jeans, but felt it was time. I was a little nervous to say the least I had attempted a pair about a year ago while at lovesac and it was a total disaster. I was determined this time to get it right, so I took my favorite pair of jeans and took them a part and made a pattern. The first two pair were utter failures, but the third was beautiful. I wore that pair everyday for a month taking notice of what I liked and didn't like. I them made pair after pair until they were perfect. Having a perfect pair for men I took to the womens. I spent about two year perfecting the fits, making dresses, bags and doing runway shows. It was during this time that I was also looking to find a factory in LA California to make the jeans, this proved to be very difficult. I would call factories and get hung up on, I got so frustrated and desperate that I drove to LA and walked around downtown trying to find someone to talk to, I found no one. I went back to my uncles house defeated I told him of the struggles I was having and his girlfriend told me of some friends they had who were getting jeans made in LA. I called them and hesitantly they gave me the number to a factory. I called them and set up a meeting for the following day. The meeting went very well and they agreed to make my jeans.

Utah Beats

I will be participating in the party of the century (well according to Utah) it will be the biggest party in Utah ever. They are planning on 10 to 15 thousand people. There will be such guests as three 6 mafia, and global deejays. The nappi fashion show will take place between the two DJ's with three 6 Mafia spinning as the models walk out. MTV news will be on hand as well as all the local news networks. It should be a good time. It is this friday the 13th of June, from 7 pm to 3 am. Tickets for the event are available at smith tixs.