After leading successful design teams at Polo Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch, and more, Melissa Battifarano was appointed by Rihanna, in 2015, as Design Director at her newly formed company, Fenty Corp. Battifarano defined Fenty X PUMA, a brand-new sport fashion brand, from the ground up, pushing the boundaries of traditional activewear, as seen on the runways of New York and Paris Fashion Weeks.

After the success of Fenty X PUMA, Battifarano took the lingerie market by storm with Savage X Fenty, a ground-breaking new brand that truly embraced beauty in all shapes, sizes, and forms. Battifarano not only led design at Fenty, but was also intimately involved in driving brand development, including casting, make up/hair design, music/sound direction, and styling show looks for 6 NYFW and PFW shows; most notably, she contributed to the stand-out success of the inaugural Savage X Fenty Amazon Show in September 2019.

Battifarano is currently working on the creation and development of her own brand, TONY 1923, a love letter to her late father. Simultaneously, Battifarano has taken on Creative Director roles at both Diesel and Wolford, creating the vision and design direction for their new athleisure ranges. With savvy technical design skills and an innate understanding of culture, Battifarano is undoubtably a creative force to be reckoned with in the fashion industry.

You can check out more of their work here on Creatively and @hellocreatively on Instagram.

What is the first creative project you remember?

The first creative project I remember was a pastel drawing that I did in the first grade. It was a colorful bouquet of flowers in my mom’s crystal vase on black Canson paper. The school put it in the local library, and I remember being really excited to see it up! My father enrolled me in art classes after school, which was the foundation for me going into a career in fashion and design.

Describe your aesthetic in three words.

Functional. Detailed. Sexy.

What was the most fulfilling collaboration you’ve worked on?

By far my tenure with Rihanna has been the most fulfilling work I have done in my career thus far. So many unforeseen challenges, problem-solving, and pivoting on a dime. Paving a way to a whole new category that had never been done before. Very fulfilling and rewarding work.

What’s one creative project that taught you something fundamental about yourself?

Several projects taught me a lot about myself, but the first one I can recall is working with Tory Burch to launch Tory Sport. I had worked most of my career in menswear, with just a few short stints doing women’s. In this industry, a designer can become very easily pigeonholed. It is wild that other people’s opinions of what they think you can do can affect your confidence. I was unsure that I would thrive or even survive in my new role! Tory believed in me, and I did my due diligence to overcome my fears, push myself, and learn/absorb from everyone what I didn’t know. You just have to believe you can do something, study, learn, and ask questions. And a little bit of “faking it until you make it” doesn’t hurt either!

Do you think creativity is something you’re born with or something you’re taught?

I think it is a bit of both. I do think we are hard-wired in one persuasion or another, but creativity can express itself in many ways. I believe that I was fortunate to have my creativity fostered during my childhood, and I was never stifled at all. Confidence and reassurance are vital to young people; this is why I am so passionate about mentoring young talent. We need leaders, especially females. This was a bit lacking for me when I was a young designer looking for guidance.

What’s the last dream you had?

I don’t think I dream very much. Not sure what that means, but I’ll take that up with my therapist (LOL). I used to get very terrifying recurring dreams that I was in the passenger’s seat of a car and the driver, whose face I never saw, would be unable to drive the vehicle anymore. I would have to take over and not quite able to reach the pedals or the steering wheel (as there is a body in the driver’s seat and I’m reaching across). The car was always going out of control in one way or the other. I would wake up in sweats! Thankfully, it’s been some years since I’ve had these recurring dreams. They were truly terrifying! Yikes!

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work?

Wow, I’ll be thrilled if anyone is talking about me in 100 years! I hope they will write that I was part of a movement that made people feel confident, strong, sexy, and free to wear exactly what they want. And I helped to create the clothing that made them feel their best.

Follow @melissabattifarano on Creatively.

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