If you follow pop culture, you’re more than likely to have seen a GUIZIO piece on an A-list celeb or in your favorite TV show. From models like Kendall Jenner, and Bella Hadid to actors like Barbie Ferreira, Danielle Guizio’s idyllic approach to design captures the eye with its inherent embodiment of femininity and sensuality. With only $400 to her name, what started as a passion project in her parents’ basement in 2015 led to the birth of a fashion empire, with showrooms in Milan and Paris and a loyal international following, Guizio told Forbes in an interview. Seamlessly melding simplicity and romanticism, everyday essentials are reinvented and cohesively branded with statement pieces, with a range of garments from corsets to cargo pants, and denim to knitwear. With streetwear flair and intimate silhouettes, Guizio provides adaptability in design that informs her success, providing women with eccentric style and effortless sophistication. Friday’s launch of GUIZIO’s Fall/Winter collection, part two saw five new designs unveiled, each with their own striking authenticity that speaks to the versatility of Guizio’s artistry. To learn more about the collection and the woman behind the clothes, we spoke to Guizio herself about her inspirations, process, and what’s next for the brand.

VMAGAZINE: What was your inspiration for the collection?

DANIELLE GUIZIO: I was very inspired by everything around me. The collection has very much a feminine touch to it, from the blazer set to cozy, soft knit sets for going out. At the time when I was designing the collection, I was spending a lot of time in Paris and really feeling this overwhelming sense of femininity and being comfortable in a romantic way. So a lot of the pieces are inspired by that, and a lot of them are made in Italy.

V: Can you describe your work process in creating the collection?

DG: To start, I will conceptualize and idealize a collection of whatever I’m feeling inside or what’s inspiring me. Then I gather a bunch of inspiration, like putting my feelings to pictures in order to tell that story to my team so they can understand my vision. I’ll gather weeks and weeks of inspiration and research and tell them exactly what I want to see. I also tell them I want to see your interpretation of this as well, because I love getting their perspective of my ideas. That is one of the most fun parts of this, working together. We really hone in and make sure everything we want is in the collection. We go to fabric sourcing and choosing colors. To me, that’s probably the hardest part, because I like to wear a lot of black. But, we need an ideation of our color scheme and how to tell our story through color. Then we send it off to factories and go into sampling.

V: How long did that whole process take?

DG: This collection took about a year.

V: How does this collection speak to your brand image as a whole?

DG: I always love to mix sophistication with sexiness. I feel as women we deserve to have both sides of the spectrum. The blazer set is more sophisticated, as far as the silhouette. Then we have the open-knit cutout dress which is revealing and really celebrates the women’s body.

V: Anything new on the horizon for GUIZIO?

DG: There is so much exciting new stuff happening. What I’ve been working so hard for is finally coming into fruition. This year in general, we are planning to scale in terms of opening new categories, which is something I’m looking forward to. Long term, I want to open a store in New York. It would really create a whole new world for the brand. I also am always working on getting more in touch with my consumers and sharing the experience of the brand with them.