Cala Ossidiana Creative Director, Anne Pachan
Anne Pachan loves searching… walking down unbeaten paths to find the
beautiful, the strange, and the curious. Whether trekking up to an ancient
Balinese village known for their double ikat weaving, checking out a new artist at
a Chelsea gallery opening, studying a book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
or watching a classic black and white film, she is continually finding and
incorporating new sources of inspiration for her designs.
Anne credits a program at the Art Institute of Chicago for solidifying her path to
fashion design. She then attended University of Cincinnati for design, with a
specialization in knitwear. Travels from Paris to Sicily provided ideas for her
thesis collection, and during college she also gained experience on internships at
Peter Som, James Coviello, Banana Republic, and Ellen Tracy.
After graduation, it was time for a move to New York and an assistant design
position at Chado Ralph Rucci, where she gained an understanding of couture by
using the finest materials and the most intricate draping, patternmaking, and
embroidery techniques. Assisting in the fitting of couture garments gave Anne an
incomparable knowledge of the challenges presented by various and exotic
fabric and silhouette pairings, and how to manipulate the garment for optimal
effect.
Anne’s love for knitwear was resurrected when she developed her own
consulting business based on knits. For the past several years Anne has been
working on sweater design and development for emerging designers and new
markets. Clients include FORM, Camilla Staerk, Jillian Lewis/Project Runway,
and SOJRN cashmere. Anne also traveled to Peru to work with a luxury
manufacturer on yarn and knitwear development using rare alpaca, llama, and
vicuna fibers.
All of these experiences, combined with an interest in simple luxury and clean
modern lines balanced with unique details, led to the development of Cala
Ossidiana, a line devoted to swimwear for lounging in the sunlight and sweaters
for cozying up when the temperature is cooler. These are pieces to vacation and
travel in, created to be staples in any fashionable woman’s suitcase. Anne’s
never-ending search for the most unique, stylish, luxurious, and modern clothing
is reflected in this collection.