Patrizia Donà
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Patrizia Donà is a successor of the long family tradition originating from the island of Murano, Venice. Her surname belongs to an ancient aristocratic family and it was mentioned for the first time way back in the 8th Ct. During her childhood, she used to spend many summers in a family manufacture, helping putting together crystal parts of Venetian chandeliers, whose production is a unique and unsurpassed process. Patrizia’s father, a born Venetian from Murano, worked as a craftsman in Zagreb, where he moved for love to Patrizia’s mother. His metal work was much appreciated and people used to say he had mani d’oro (golden hands). So Patrizia grew up surrounded by lavorazioni artigiane, artisanal work, in an atmosphere where striving for perfection and continuous improvement came to her naturally.
Later in life, Patrizia Donà graduated from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Art History and Ethnology. Soon after, she moved to Rotterdam where she studied Fashion Design at the Villem de Kooning Academy. She graduated Cum Laude in 2006 whereby her final collection “Souvenirs d’Enfance – La Manufacture des Automates” was nominated for Drempelprijs Academy Award. Among her first working experiences was the one for A.F. Vandervorst in Antwerpen, for whom she also worked as a stylist at fashion shows in Paris.
In 2012, Patrizia started her own label Laboratio Donà (later renamed Dona), which soon gained attention and appraisal for the “Hommage a Remington” bags, inspired by a famous typewriter.
Donà’s work was shown in numerous galleries and museums as well as at various festivals, among others: Shanghai Biennial, Museum für Angewandte Kunst – Frankfurt, Amsterdam International Fashion Week, Red Light Design Amsterdam, Dutch Design Week – Eindhoven…, Alternative Arts and Fashion Week – Toronto, House of Orange – Ottawa, Fashionclash – Maastricht, 36th Split Salon, Design 013/14 Croatian Design Review – Zagreb. Patrizia Donà won several awards: Elle Style Awards 2014 for the Best Accessory Designer, Croatian Designers Association Award for fashion design (2014), 43th Zagreb Salon Award for “Hommage a Remington” collection (2009).
