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.

Rescued materials, travel inspired design, functional fashion

I have a tough time answering the question, so what is your work like? How would you describe it? I can profess about it in writing much better, so here it is: 

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 recently have started selling directly on Facebook and in some local stores.

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 tiny, closet-less bedroom in my rented house with borrowed furniture. My living and creative space are often woven into and on top of one another. I have a hard time keeping projects in the project room...they sneak into the kitchen, the living room...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 husband will help with projects; 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 E. Berry-Phillips
Designer * Creator * Picker * Maker

Wee! Stuff on the Shelves!

My good Skidmore College buddy Kate Bradley helped me populate the store this weekend. Steve & I did a couple of finishing touches and voila, I present, the almost ready store!
This is my vast window display, the other windows are occupied by the potter.

The wall of yummies. Obi belts, newly designed hair barrettes (only available in store), some of my purses and leather cuffs...

The converted letterpress drawer earring display.

My new handmade mannequin (yesterday I built this mannequin from newspaper, strapping tape and plastic grocery bags. I made a cover for her from a t-shirt. I'm rather pleased with the end result). A glimpse of the jewelry case, which we plan to light with a string of white x-mas lights.

The dressing room, made from a hula hoop. We rigged up a wooden stick to serve as the rod for clothing. Still need to come up with a lighting solution so you aren't in a super dark tent trying on clothes. Any ideas?

The corner shelf with a couple more purses and wine glass charms. What you see on the left hand side is some of the potters work.

Art & Fashion Sale with Artist Doria Grace Huge Success!

Artist Doria Grace recently relocated to Florida to increase her access to vitamin D. But, before she left, YazBerry was fortunate to collaborate with her on an art and fashion sale!

Highlights from the sale are below:








For all of you Facebook fiends (addicts) out there be sure to become a fan of Doria Grace: CLICK HERE (be sure you are logged in before you click) so you can see her latest art!

And, if you haven't become a fan of YazBerry Fashion yet on Facebook, be sure to do so while you're at it: CLICK HERE (be sure you are logged in before you click) . You'll be able to see my design portfolio, never before seen pictures from Skidmore College Fashion shows and my custom work portfolios.

Never Before Seen Screen Shots from Skidmore Fashion Show 2004!

I just posted 40 never before seen screen shots from the video recording of the 2004 Skidmore Fashion Show! These are shots of Virginia E. Berry designs never before seen except for during the live show.

To view these photos, you will have to find YazBerry's fan page on Facebook. If you have a profile on Facebook, you too can become a fan: simply search for "YazBerry Fashion" in the pages section of Facebook and once you find it click "become a fan".

Become a Fan of YazBerry Fashion on www.facebook.com!

Yesterday afternoon YazBerry launched a fan page on www.facebook.com. In 24 hours YazBerry already has 50 fans! If you have a profile on Facebook, you too can become a fan: simply search for "YazBerry Fashion" in the pages section of Facebook and once you find it click "become a fan". You can join the growing fan base alongside people such as Jenny Hall of www.trendi.com!

Technology permitting, I plan to post a never before seen video montage of the 2004 Skidmore Fashion Show featuring several pre-YazBerry designs by Virginia E. Berry!

Skidmore College Element Fashion Benefit

Dan and I hopped in our car at noon on Friday the 13th and schleped our butts to Saratoga Springs, NY to visit my Alma Mater, Skidmore College, several good friends of mine, Liz Cobb, Lauren Cognato and Helen Thompson and to rub elbows with Patty Pawliczak whom I worked for in the Costume Shop.

Patty was great to touch base with as she suggested some excellent fabric stores in Massachusetts I should frequent...one she raves is "bigger than the garment district in New York". Mmmm YazBerry likes the idea. She also alerted me to a very exciting once per year flea market that is dedicated to purely vintage clothing and textiles...excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin.

Anyway, back to my point. My motivation for going to Saratoga in the first place this weekend was due to the invitation from Lauren to attend the Skidmore College Element Fashion Benefit. (Check out the great poster to the right by Artist and Designer Deb Wenof, '07). All proceeds from the Element Fashion Benefit were donated to Art for Refugees, an organization dedicated "to engage both children and adults in refugee communities in visual, performing and creative arts drawn from their own cultures." Please check out their website as this is an awesome organization!

We loved many of the designs modeled at this show, some of our favorite designers include: Kim Bevan & Ashley McEvoy (co-designers) whose contemporary flares on classic designs and color combinations were superb and crisp(Kim Bevan Modeling their creation at left).

Olivia Janczyk had body hugging dresses in bold color combinations. We absolutely loved her dress composed of large bold blocks of color (pictured below on Model Blair Costello (far right with back to camera. Also pictured are her Models Emily Schor and Shay Roberts, and in jeans is the Designer herself).
We also enjoyed Alison Hunt's designs but were unable to track down photos (btw, all photos are credited to their anonymous authors and can be sourced to facebook.com)


Dan and I ran into Sandi Cun, a suitemate of mine for a year in college, in the Costume Shop before the show putting finishing touches on one of our all time favorite designs in the show! Her sense of color and line are stellar! (Designer Sandi Cun pictured at left with Model Nurys Garcia in one of the best designs in the show. Pictured at right are Sandi's Models Nurys Garcia and Shardae Gonsalves).

Emily Newton was also a favorite of ours; not only did she design but she also played a key role in organizing this event. Her pieces have whimsical and intricate details and her use of fabric is quite impressive. Our favorite piece by Emily is the black and ivory ballerina dress pictured at the far left. (In the picture at left are Emily's models from left to right: Holly Keating, Andrea Marks, Emily Newton - Designer, Michal Adut & Lindsay Thomas).




Deb Wenof, who was also both a Designer and major organizer for this event, had absolutely wonderful designs. She used striking color combinations and delicious textures! (Pictured below are Designer Deb Wenof and her Models Danielle Coccomo and Emily Kaplan (with back to camera)). We really enjoy the colors combination and textures on the piece worn by Emily Kaplan. (Pictured at right is Model Rebecca Horton). The textures on the piece worn by Rebecca Horton are excellent.


In conclusion, a supurbly excellent, fun and fashion filled fling in the fantastic town of Saratoga Springs, NY...