About 

Susan Federico is an NYC-based fashion designer and illustrator with extensive experience working in Milan, Rome, Belgium, London, and New York City. She has applied her multifaceted creative skills across various art forms, specializing in fashion and costume design. Susan holds a degree in Fashion Design and Fine Arts from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she honed her ability to blend classical craftsmanship with modern urban aesthetics, bringing her designs and illustrations to life. **Fashion** With over 10 years of experience in the fashion industry, Susan has freelanced as a designer for women’s, children’s, and accessories collections both in New York City and internationally. Her career began as an assistant buyer for women’s fashion and accessories in department stores. As she progressed, she developed a passion for creating seasonal collections for women’s and children’s fashion, emphasizing detail, continuity, and fabric/textile research in her CAD designs. She also runs a small New York-based company that offers one-of-a-kind accessories, including hats, scarves, belts, and evening handbags, for specialty shops and pop-up events. 

Theater

 Susan’s expertise extends to costume design, where she was a member of Franco Zeffirelli's design team at Teatro Di Roma in Rome, Italy. There, she learned the meticulous handcrafting involved in creating costumes for Italian theater, contributing to productions such as La Bohème, Romeo and Juliet, Turandot, Tosca, Pagliacci, and Madame Butterfly. She has also worked with the costume design team at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London for the production of Shakespeare in Love and served as a costume designer for a dance theater company at the Gent Festival in Belgium. 

Additionally, she conducted fabric trend research for upcoming children’s and accessory collections at Italy’s Textile Show. 

Style

 Throughout her creative journey, Susan discovered a passion for quick croquis fashion illustration. Her style is characterized by a spontaneous approach to watercolor, with bold black lines that define the figure and a vibrant, exuberant use of color.