About
Melissa Battifarano has forged a distinguished career in cultivating brands, setting trends, and revolutionizing sportswear and athleisure. With twenty years of experience in fashion design, her ability to seamlessly translate her distinctive creativity into both covetable and commercially successful fashion has earned acclaim, notably from Vogue, which characterized her influence on fashion as “monumental”.
A New Jersey native and FIT graduate, Melissa's design prowess draws inspiration from her late mother's elegant and timeless wardrobe, shaping the foundation of her acclaimed career. From executive roles at Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty and Fenty x Puma, Tory Burch, Diesel, and Calvin Klein, she has consistently navigated the intersection of style, culture, and commerce.
In 2014, Melissa embarked on a transformative professional journey when she started her role at Tory Burch. This pivotal period propelled her from a conventional design role to a visionary brand architect.
As the Senior Designer of Women’s at Tory Sport, she not only spearheaded apparel design but also meticulously curated the brand’s DNA, logo and overall identity. The success of Tory Sport served as a catalyst for her ability to breathe life into both new and heritage brands, a skill set and passion that remains central to her ongoing career today.
Melissa’s five year journey at Fenty Corp began with designing, creating, and conceptualizing the inaugural Fenty x Puma by Rihanna range, debuting at Fall 2016 New York Fashion Week. She played an integral role, steering the evolution of her position as the full-time design lead, pioneering the "athleisure" movement with a groundbreaking NYFW show attended by industry luminaries.
In 2018, she spearheaded design for Rihanna's lingerie brand, Savage x Fenty, becoming known as ‘Rihanna’s right hand’ coined by Vogue. She challenged industry norms with a size-inclusive approach, and the brand's cultural impact reached unprecedented heights, with Melissa's designs showcased in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a groundbreaking fashion show streamed globally on Amazon Prime.
Towards the end of 2019, she navigated leadership roles at Calvin Klein and Diesel, achieving remarkable growth and emerging as a key player in the sportswear arena. Under the visionary leadership of the new global creative director, Glenn Martens, Melissa undertook a transformative challenge from Diesel. Her role extended beyond design as she strategically conceptualized and executed a groundbreaking, sport-inspired dual-gender collection. This endeavor not only highlighted her design acumen but also showcased her comprehensive approach as a creative director.
From the inception of the brand architecture to strategic marketing, meticulous design, precise fit considerations, and overseeing final production, Melissa orchestrated a seamless journey. Her expertise extended to the customer rollout phase, where she brought innovative strategies to life, ensuring a holistic and immersive brand experience. This accomplishment was not merely about crafting a collection; it stood as a testament to Melissa's ability to reimagine brands from their initial conception to a compelling, cohesive reality, marking her as a creative force in the industry.
During the last decade, Melissa launched her creative agency, Melicious Inc. For one of more remarkable projects under her agency’s consultancy this year, she partnered with Drake’s Toronto based brand, October’s Very Own, to conceptualize and introduce a diverse women’s line. Her well-established reputation played a crucial role in this endeavor, signifying a notable milestone in her career.
Melissa's career reached new heights with the launch of her own line, Tony 1923. This remarkable venture boasts notable achievements, marked by a meticulously curated and highly successful fashion show that garnered commendable reviews from prestigious publications, including Vogue, Highsnobiety, and Office Magazine. Positioned as the pinnacle of her past endeavors in the fashion industry, this undertaking serves as an authentic representation of Melissa's innate design prowess and exceptional creative direction.
Throughout her entire career, Melissa has passionately championed the empowerment of women in the fashion industry, dedicating herself to educational initiatives and the mentorship of fellow women in the industry. A firm believer in opening doors for women, fostering diversity, and nurturing the next generation, she actively engages in speaking events and panels. Notable among these are her keynote address at the Wharton Business School and her participation in Elemental Excelerator’s “Our Fashion Future” during Climate Week 2022, among other engagements.
Looking ahead, Melissa is organizing a panel in early 2024 featuring prominent women in the industry, shedding light on the role of female creative directors and addressing existing disparities. Simultaneously, she remains deeply involved in projects through her creative agency, Melicious Inc.
