dani bettano and the upcoming launch of philomena vintage
Written by Daphne Bryant
All images courtesy of @canyoufeelmyjoy on Instagram
26-year old creative powerhouse Dani Bettano is the sweetest girl in town, and you’re in luck because she’s about to launch her very own Boston-based clothing brand. Introducing: Philomena Vintage, a carefully curated and beautifully nostalgic collection of clothes from a time that is reminiscent of old school diners and carnation breezes. Last weekend I had the pleasure of organizing and putting together a Dreamworldgirl Zine x Philomena Vintage collab, where we served as the production team behind a gorgeous campaign photoshoot. Last month I also had the pleasure of sitting down with Dani to chat about her love for fashion, the opening of her vintage store, and the inspiration behind it.
When she was growing up, Dani was determined to make it to New York City. She ended up attending Pace University, where the creative scene was more her taste.“ Boston is really cool, but there’s not a ton happening creatively around here with young people. In New York there’s acting, writing, music, writing, movies; everybody has something going on, and it [is] so inspiring,” says Dani. Dani’s personal niche is clothes: she’s always loved vintage fashion, and thrifting.“ I’ve been collecting my own vintage for a while, just kind of making a closet for myself, and even [acquiring] some archival pieces that I don’t wear.” Dani has an eye for finding unique, interesting pieces, which is an impressive skill most people both desire and envy.
One day Dani reached out to a friend who happens to own Groovy Thrifty in Brighton.“ I approached her about my day job; I’m an event planner, so when Lana was about to do her show at Fenway I was like,‘ Why don’t we do this curated, vintage-themed event?’ It was Lana coded, and that was so fun,” says Dani. The turnout was huge, with people driving in from all over the state, having heard about the event online. By the end of the event, the collection was almost completely sold out.“ That’s when I kind of realized‘ damn: there is a market for this.’” Nowadays everything is so“ aesthetic this” and“ this core”, which has its pros and cons, but in all the chaos Dani saw an opportunity to connect with people who are interested in the type of clothes she loves.“ I already curate this stuff, why not just go to the next level, create a brand, and start selling?”
The name Philomena is actually Dani’s grandmother’s name.“ I’ve always thought it was the most beautiful, vintage, girly sounding name. We were super close, and I’ve always wanted to incorporate the name into my life; it’s just so evocative,” says the vintage store owner. When one pictures the name Philomena images of divine femininity do seem to blossom; choosing Philomena as the name of her vintage brand was a no-brainer.
As launch nears, Dani is constantly thinking and talking about what’s coming.“ I’ve had such a good time sourcing for the first collection; I started in late spring, and I literally went through and hand picked every single piece because I really had a vision, and I wanted everything to fit together to tell a story,” says Dani. Since the coquette, vintage Americana aesthetic is trendy right now, Philomena has a lot of inspiration to draw from. However, Dani wants people to know that Philomena isn’t hopping on some Tik Tok trend.“ I've lowkey been dressing like this [forever]. I'm an OG Tumblr girl; I’m in my late twenties so this is not new to me. I’ve been about this life,” she laughs. Having had years of experience collecting and wearing clothes like the ones Philomena will be selling, Dani stands out amongst other brand owners who buy in bulk or base their aesthetic off of what new pop culture patten is re-emerging.
If you’re interested in purchasing the clothes, you should know that they will shortly be available online for anyone to purchase.“ I am in the process of setting up a website; I would love to be able to ship everywhere, even internationally. But I will also be at the local vintage fairs and setting up booths,” says Dani. It will be surreal to see this phenomenal brand grow in real time, and it’s reassuring to know that Dani is passionate about revitalizing Boston’s fashion scene and giving back to the community that’s given to her.
For anyone that’s looking to get into fashion business and start their own brand, here’s some advice from Philomena Vintage’s owner:“ Literally, just start! When you have an idea, even if it’s not fully fleshed out, take some time, sit with it, get your ass on Pinterest and put together something until you think your [concept] has a good foundation.” Obviously not everybody has the luxury to dive right in and start spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on inventory, and for this reason Dani encourages people to start small at places like Goodwill.
Finally, Dani leaves us with an aide-mémoire on sustainability. “ One thing that really inspired me to start Philomena was this [desire] to contribute to slow fashion. A lot of the pieces I am pulling from my collection are from the sixties and seventies. They’re these beautiful garments that have held up through the test of time, and they’re still such high quality and so wearable,” says Dani. It’s rare these days to find clothes like that. You’re either paying $5 for a flimsy shirt of poor quality that will fall apart after you put it through the wash, or forced to buy full price for something ridiculous like $500. Having a middle ground is really important, and that’s what Philomena Vintage is providing. They are giving these pieces a second life for people that are really and genuinely interested in wearing or collecting them.“ People will go on the website and find something perfect for them. You won’t have to sift through a bunch of racks to do that. If this is what you're interested in wearing, and this is kind of your lifestyle, I would love to be the go-to place.” Everybody say thank you fairy godmother Dani!
