Biography

Virginia E. Berry, Designer, Maker, Picker

Early Life

Born in rural Minnesota, Berry was an active and creative child. Her grandmother was an avid quilter and whenever she stayed at grandma’s she would play with scrap fabric and make things – clothes for dolls, from scratch stuffed animals, miniature quilts. She also took classes in the fine arts and had paintings displayed in student shows around town and entered into regional and national contests. Informal lessons from grandma, mom and many other mothers in Girl Scouts, taught Berry how to sew, quilt, design patterns, dye, weave, spin yarn…

A photo posted by Virginia (@yazberryfashion) on Nov 28, 2015 at 6:34am PST

Education

While pursuing her Bachelor of Arts Degree at Skidmore College, Berry’s lifetime interest in costumes and ability to sew landed her a job at the Skidmore Theatre Costume shop. Under the tutelage of Patty Pawliczak, Berry honed her designing and pattern drafting skills. She also took a course in textile arts where she learned surface design, decorative embroidery techniques, piece work, advanced weaving and dyeing.  

At Skidmore, Berry designed collections for student fashion shows in 2002 and 2004. Dabbling with sustainable fashion and not even realizing it at the time, in 2002 Berry constructed gowns from recycled black and white photos of people from magazines. In 2004, after having spent a year living and studying in Madrid, Spain, Berry made a collection featuring salvaged leather she had found outside a workshop in Madrid. She also recycled scrap fabric from the costume shop into couture dresses; one, her French model asked to bring home with her to Paris.

YazBerry Launch 2005

Berry graduated Skidmore in 2004 and in May of 2005 began YazBerry Fashion. The name YazBerry is a play on the designer’s surname and offers a fresh, funky, alternative to the expected strawberry/raspberry/blueberry while bringing that juicy, fruity taste to one’s mouth when read. From the start YazBerry has been a mix of handmade, one of a kind, designs by Berry and carefully curated vintage finds.

YazBerry’s early designs were art purses, throw pillows, graphic t-shirts and assorted custom orders. From there the designs focused on purses and ready to wear clothing. In 2009, Berry was invited by The Fashion Reporter virtual Magazine and Fashion Evolution Productions to showcase a selection of her purses at a fashion show featuring pieces from the fall collections of Vivienne Tam, Tibi, MNG Mango, Vera Wang and Rebecca Taylor. Purses from the YazBerry Fashion collection were paired with designs by Vivienne Tam and Tibi.

Artist in Residence

In 2010, Berry wrote a proposal for an artist's studio and retail space in Salem, MA, in the City of Salem's Artists' Row artist in residence program. Berry was among five artist groups selected to have space during the summer and fall. During this time she created an extensive portfolio and expanded her line into jewelry, stationary and decor items.

During her stay on Artists' Row, Berry offered workshops and demonstrations to members of the community. She also produced a fashion show as part of the Ahht for Peeps art event, in which her work was modeled by members of the community, real people as she put it. She invited Artists' Row artists Ellen Hardy, President of the Salem Arts Association, to showcase her hand painted silk scarves and neckties and Dan Anthony, to share his handcrafted leather masks.

Retail Co-op

Back in her hometown of Northfield, MN, Berry showcased her work at The Riverwalk Market Fair during two summer seasons and held a seat on the Leadership Committee. Berry also held a share of a unique retail co-op, The Local Joint, featuring both her handmade designs and a broad selection of vintage accessories and home items. Berry’s knowledge of sourcing and valuing vintage items was nurtured by the many experienced pickers in the co-op, further expanding her interest and expertise in picking.

babyBerry

In 2014 as a result of a handmade pair of leather baby booties Berry gave to a good friend, YazBerry friends, family and followers demanded the launch of babyBerry, designer baby booties and accessories made from new and vintage materials. babyBerry is catalog based; through a personalized consultation, Berry customizes each order for the customer based on the colors, design aesthetic and size desired. She also does custom applique onesies, capes, leggings, winter hats and would love to discuss other visions you may have. She has been known to make baby quilts as heirloom quality gifts too!

Shop for YazBerry

Berry’s chronic wanderlust, sense of adventure, and Canadian husband, have her currently residing in Newfoundland, Canada. She has a home studio and several retailers in the area carry her jewelry. Currently Berry is focusing on jewelry design but is available to discuss bespoke purses and other designs. For photos and retail prices of most of YazBerry’s inventory, please visit the facebook photo albums or contact Berry. She is actively pursuing additional retail opportunities for her handmade work as well as a good retail fit for her vintage items. Please contact Berry to discuss.

YazBerry Fashion is artist designed and made, fashion forward, wearable art jewelry and accessories designed for people that love the art of dressing. She also carries a selection of vintage jewelry, purses, scarves, neckties and clothing. Her work is sustainable in nature as she uses a mixture of recycled, found and new objects. Berry boasts that YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it!

TO VIEW THE YAZBERRY PRESS KIT CLICK HERE.

PRESS KIT

YAZBERRY FASHION
YazBerry Fashion is the design label of Designer, Maker, Picker, Virginia E. Berry. Raised in Northfield, MN, Berry pursued her BA at Skidmore College where she worked in the costume shop at the theatre under the tutelage of Costume Designer, Patty Pawliczak. Berry participated in several student fashion shows and graduated in 2004 with a double Major in Spanish and Government and Minor in International Affairs. In 2010 Berry had an artist in residence in Salem, MA's Artist's Row program in which she had a retail space and taught workshops. Currently, Berry resides in Newfoundland, Canada where she is launching her line to the Canadian market.

Berry's design work ranges from jewelry and accessories to baby shoes and custom work. Her body of work can best be described as modern vintage; drawing inspiration from classic shapes, patterns and styles but offering a fresh, modern taste. She boasts that YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it! Berry also offers a carefully curated selection of vintage purses and scarves. Her keen eye for color and volume come together nicely throughout her pieces.

YazBerry Fashion ranges in price from $10 for handmade earrings up to $165 for a sterling silver architectural necklace with semi-precious stones. Berry works with new and recycled textiles, found objects, semi-precious stones, pearls, fur, lace, leather and melds them into must have one of a kind creations. Her handmade and vintage collection is available in her Etsy.com store yazberryfashion.etsy.com,and on her facebook page facebook.com/yazberryfashion by browsing the photo albums. Her work can also be found at art fairs throughout Newfoundland and at many retailers in the province.

Links in order are:
Salem, MA's Artist's Row: http://www.salem.com/pages/salemma_webdocs/artists
YazBerry Fashion on Etsy.com: http://yazberryfashion.etsy.com
YazBerry Fashion on Facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/yazberryfashion/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums
YazBerry Retail Partners: http://www.yazberry.com/pages/retailers/

CONTACT INFORMATION
Virginia E. Berry, Owner & Designer
shop.yazberry@gmail.com
Website: http://www.yazberry.com
Shop: http://yazberryfashion.etsy.com
Blog: http://yazberry.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yazberryfashion
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/yazberryfashion
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yazberryfashion
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/yazberryfashion


IMAGES OF WORK
PRESS RELEASES
BIOGRAPHY
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
PRESS MENTIONS - PRINT & INTERNET

The Handcut Leather Lace Process

The Local Joint: Meet Virginia Berry!

The Local Joint: Meet Virginia Berry!: My bio on the store website. Check it out!

Virginia Berry is a textile artist with training in drawing, painting, sculpture, textile arts and costuming. Berry's design work r...

Rescued materials, travel inspired design, functional fashion

(Exerpt originally found on my Etsy.com "About" page)


YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it!

I was the kid growing up selling dried wild flower bouquets to the neighbors from my wagon. I've always been most content working on creative projects. Sewing, drawing, painting, coloring, building things...One of my favorite games was "business"; I had a wooden box filled with fax cover sheets and blank receipt books.

While in college I had my first run with clothing design. Working in the costume shop at the Skidmore Theatre, my creativity was put to the test creating costumes from thin air based on an idea from the director. I then produced two collections for student fashion shows.

BA in hand and a day job to boot Etsy crossed my path. *light bulb* the perfect outlet for the creative working person. Of course I dream of quitting my day job like most Etsians, but for now the bills must get paid and Etsy is the perfect forum to run my business while I sleep.

I have been transient the last *ahem* nearly a decade; each space I have lived in I have always made room for a studio. My current studio is a dark walk out basement filled with yellow lights and borrowed furniture. My living and creative space are woven into and on top of one another. It works. I thrive in organized chaos.

My favorite materials are discarded clothing found in secondhand shops. Textiles inherited from retired friends and family. Found objects from flea markets and the beach. My absolute favorite thing is to determine the limitations of a discarded item, discover its potential and work it into a functional piece of wearable art.

YazBerry is in essence, a grand recycling experiment; manifested in the form of wearable art. I am a first generation "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" student and have found it is one of my guiding mantras in all that I do in life. Always finding ways to reduce my impact on the ecosystem and preserve the beauty around us for those to come after.

At the moment I am mostly flying solo on the YazBerry frontier. At times my generous fiance will help with the online shop. My number one fan and best sales person. My mom also helps at art fairs.

I always carry a small notepad and pen with me. I never know when something will catch my eye, inspire a design and need to be captured before my short term memory allows it to float on the wind. I am particularly inspired by architecture, eye catching color combinations in ethnic textiles and the artisan craft of peoples around the world.

I rarely make the same item twice. It feels like a chore and I want your YazBerry creation to be singular in this world. I stand by the promise that YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it!

Enjoy!

Virginia Berry

Designer * Creator * Picker * Maker

Fashion as Art

I think so. I consider myself an artist. Fashion is the medium in which I choose to express myself artistically.

art1    /ɑrt/[ahrt]
noun
1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
2. the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art; an art collection.
3. a field, genre, or category of art: Dance is an art.

Today I came across a couple interesting articles addressing fashion as art. Both raise the question does fashion have a place in an art museum? "Does Fashion Deserve To Be In a Museum?" in Bust Magazine, and a New York Times article, the Bust article references: "Gone Global: Fashion as Art?" I argue that yes it does. The articles arrive at a similar conclusion while addressing some interesting issues such as what criteria is used to select designers, how some design houses are funding their own exhibits as sort of a brand marketing cum art statement, which has a number of interesting arguments along with it. I highly suggest you read these articles, excellent food for thought.

My art background is wide spanning. I have taken art classes since I was a child and have been schooled in mediums such as painting and clay. I've learned about perspective, the play of positive and negative space, the way primary, secondary and tertiary colors work. How to mix colors, how to make colors play certain tricks on your eye. I've also had the privilege of slowly meandering through some of the world's greatest art museums in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis. I move slow, I stare hard and my cerebral sponge soaks in as many details of the Masters as I can. I treat a clothing store and a fashion magazine the same way as I do the Louvre. I even treat people watching in this way.

My fashion design is derived from an accumulation of art education and observation. I consider each piece a wearable sculpture. A three dimensional painting. A study of positive and negative space. A play of color, texture and volume. This makes me slow, deliberate, obsessed with detail and extremely particular about the end result. Flaws? I think not, these are what gives character to my work. Enjoy!

Write-up on YazBerry on Riverwalk Market Fair Blog

Nice write-up by Amy Acheson on the Riverwalk Market Fair Blog. Here's a quick view, be sure to visit the blog to read about other artists and farmers showcasing their work and produce at the market.