University
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Student styles fashion shoot for Vogue Portugal
Article by: David Millett
Publication date:Second-year BA (Hons) Fashion Promotion student Rita Biancardi’s hard work and determination has helped her get styling work featured in a prestigious Vogue Portugal fashion spread.
Rita’s ‘Talking to the moon’ fashion spread was featured in the influential fashion magazine in December 2021. It features a model in a number of otherworldly looks put together by Rita, photographed against backdrops of the moon and stars.
This amazing achievement is the latest string in Rita’s already impressive bow. As can be seen from her portfolio, she previously worked as a stylist for shoots in the fashion magazines Kaltblut, Fashion Grunge, F Word and many others.
She has also worked hard as a fashion assistant for many publications, including a Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam cover shoot and a spread in Vogue Italia.
Rita told us how she worked hard to make her dream of being featured in Vogue come true…
Rita Biancardi Vogue
Rita Biancardi Vogue
Rita Biancardi Vogue
Rita Biancardi Vogue
Rita Biancardi Vogue
How did this collaboration with Vogue come about?
RB: "To be honest, it happened a bit by chance, but it was the result of hard work. After more than a year of working as a fashion assistant for top professionals in London, I decided that I wanted to create something that represented me and was completely my own.
"I wrote to the best fashion photographer I knew and proposed him to collaborate with me. He liked the idea straight away and from there we developed the whole project together.
"During the post-production of the shots, the photographer thought of sending small previews via Instagram to Vogue Portugal's editor-in-chief, Sofia Lucas.
"Honestly, we didn't even think Sofia Lucas would ever see those DMs, but she saw them, immediately liked the photos and chose to support us by publishing the entire editorial a few weeks later.
"It sounds absurd but it all started with a simple DM on Instagram!"
How did it feel seeing your work in Vogue Portugal?
RB: "It was definitely a great satisfaction that came at a time in my life when I really needed it.
"In our portfolio and on Instagram, we are used to showing only our successes and the most beautiful and "cool" part of our work. But I think it's very important to normalise the fact that it's OK not to be at your best all the time. It's OK to feel overwhelmed, scared for your future and a bit lost.
"In fact, in December, when the editorial was published, I felt exactly like that. I was studying for university at night and working non-stop as an assistant during the day, often for free and with crazy hours. Assisting professionals is the greatest opportunity a student can have, but at the same time, I felt tired and creatively empty.
"For me, this publication was a small confirmation that helped me to start again with more energy and determination than before. It was the proof that maybe I am doing something right and that sometimes with hard work, perseverance and a bit of luck you can achieve great goals."
What was your inspiration for the shoot?
RB: "I have always been fascinated by the stars, tarot cards and alchemy in general.
"The main inspirations behind our editorial "Talking to the Moon" were therefore the tarot and Dior's Spring Summer 2021 Haute Couture Collection (which remains one of my absolute favourites).
"In particular, we were inspired by the eighteenth card of the Major Arcana, the Moon. The Moon is personally one of my favourite cards, as it indicates a long and tormented journey to the conquest of truth. It symbolises the female creative principle par excellence, intuition, imagination, and the light that illuminates our unconscious, our universal mirror."
