Humble, caring and fun.

This is how we would describe Mariaelena Morelli; an amazing creative that we can luckily call a friend. 

Moved to Paris more then 10 years ago, she is now Senior Fashion Editor for ODDA Magazine and she work as a Stylist and Creative consultant. We met through Instagram and we realised from the first meeting that she would be someone special for our brand but also our personal life.

Mariaelena is the reflection of her city, Naples; she is beautiful, she is sunny and a little bit wild.

What does the blue hour mean to you?

“It depends on whether I am Mariaelena going to dinner or waking up. They are two crucial moments, in the morning it is a focus on me while in the evening it is a focus on me towards the world. However, it is a moment of daily change that I dedicate to myself.”

Let us introduce you our new IINDACO WOMAN Mariaelena Morelli.

11 Questions for Mariaelena Morelli

1 Can you describe yourself in 5 words?

Burrosa, sunny, complicated, lunatic, smiling.

2 How was your passion for fashion born?

My parents have a lingerie brand, since i was a kid i always helped during summer and i used to travel to Paris for trades. I think my passion for fashion began there, working with my mother, my grandma and my father…

3 Tell us a little bit about your career, how has it started?

After high school I discovered the existence of the job of Fashion Stylist, I immediately knew it was what I wanted to do and decided to move to Milan to study. During these three years I tried to work in fashion in various sectors: like the pr office of Comme de Garcon, castings, art direction… I tried all the jobs that revolved around and were connected to fashion stylism to be 100% sure of my choice, to know the sector better and then decide to specialise in publications. 

4 When did you move in Paris and why?

I moved to Paris to work for a photographer’s magazine, unfortunately the magazine no longer exists, it was called Grey Magazine, I was the assistant fashion editor. It was a wonderful experience that took me between New York and Paris. While working there I learned the basics of who I am now, it was cool.

5 Has there ever been a moment since you started working when you thought things would not work out?

There’s never been anything particularly drastic or negative, it’s true that I’ve always tried to be very focused on being strong whatever happens in life. Perhaps the moments that have made me doubt the most are those when you have to wait. Waiting and struggling to get things done can bring up doubts.

6 Do you feel that you are currently realizing your dreams?

No come on, never. You can never be satisfied, you always have to want more. I always say: the more you work the more you will work, the more you feel the more you will feel. I’m really happy and glad that I can do the work I love but my dream is still there, I want more and more.

7 Can you tell us the strangest thing that happened to you on set?

In what way strange? Nothing is strange and nothing is normal. I mean, maybe more unusual situations happened to me when I was an assistant than now, but I can’t think of anything out of the ordinary. For example, I was once picked up because I removed dust from vintage shoes of the Helmut Lang Archive, and they shouted at me because the dust on those shoes was part of the styling.

That actually I can say was weird, maybe (laughs).

8 …And the most iconic moment?

It’s happened to me many times to think: ok this moment is iconic but maybe the first one that comes to mind and that I remember with good feelings is when I arrived on set at Pierce Brosnan’s house. We were going to shoot a story with him and his two sons for Odda Magazine.

I knew that with the first look I would have to be crazy because afterwards his wife would come back and it would be more complicated. So I proposed to him this Balenciaga look, something very far from his style, with fuchsia truck trousers, a red and black checkered shirt and big boots. When I brought it to him he looked at me uncertainly but I promised him it would be great. He decided to trust me by saying ‘Ok Mariaelena, i trust you, if you think i’m cool lets do it’. As soon as he arrived on the set the two kids immediately said “Dad you are cool like that!” and he answered: “Yeah Marialena told me”.

I mean 007 trusted me, that’s iconic, isn’t it?

9 If you could choose a photographer and a model for the shooting of your dreams, who would you think about?

I would love love love to work with a super young Monica Bellucci, she was so naturally gorgeous, as a photographer I would say Glen Luchford in the 90s (the time he was shooting the Prada campaign) to shoot a campaign for Loewe. definitely Loewe because for me it is one of the few brands, if not the only one, that represents what is beautiful and feminine nowadays.

Wow Loewe, Glen and Monica: Ciaoo.

10 Who or what inspires you the most? 

I don’t know, pictures inspire me a lot, they can come from the art world, from films, from books. Every day I collect images and moments that I use as inspiration. Of course, exhibitions and museums can also help, as music does for me. Listening to and discovering new artists, watching their videos… Actually everything can be an inspiration, it’s never anything specific or unique. It’s not something that inspires me but it’s my daily basis research that leads me to new ideas.

11 In your opinion, how has being a woman influenced your career?

If I have to think about whether I’ve had to deal with difficulties as a woman, honestly nothing comes to mind, in fact for me it’s always been an added value. For example, I have a very maternal character. On set I tend to be the mother of all, taking care of the models, knowing if they are well, if they have eaten, if they are cold… So my feminine elements are an integral part of my work and define the way I do it, even the aesthetic sensitivity of a woman who portrays another woman for example is not comparable to anything else.

There is a lot of me being a woman in my work, always as a plus never as a limit.

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