Article written by Jake Rosenberg.
Francesca Cinelli doesn’t just create wearable art — she reimagines what fashion can be. With each handcrafted tie in her Bijoux Cravatés collection, the New York-based artist and designer blurs the lines between sculpture, accessory, and personal narrative, inviting wearers into a world where history, emotion, and craftsmanship intertwine.
Her path to couture wasn’t paved in a straight line. Before founding her distinctive line of wearable art, Cinelli immersed herself in many worlds: academia, theater, art dealing, and jazz. Born in Europe and living in New York for the past 13 years, Francesca Cinelli speaks of creativity as something fluid and ever-present — a current that carries memory, identity, and transformation.
“I was working with a great art dealer in Paris,” she recalls, “who exposed me to craftsmanship from cultures all over the world. I remember wearing antique objects, parures from the Amazon or Indonesia, and giving them new life as part of modern fashion. That’s when I really began to understand the power of merging art with fashion.”
Though she didn’t grow up in New York, the city has played a pivotal role in shaping her current artistic voice. It was jazz, rather than fashion, that led her back into creative expression while writing her PhD dissertation. “New York is the mecca of jazz,” she says. “Its history is deeply rooted in self-representation and freedom. It unlocked something in me. While writing, I began creating Bijoux Cravatés — sculptural, embroidered ties that could speak without words.”
The influence of performance art also runs deep in Cinelli’s life. Her experience as an actor helped her embrace the full spectrum of expression — mental, emotional, and physical — without boundaries. That freedom is echoed in her work, where no material is too unconventional and no concept too abstract.
“I see myself as an artistic designer — a bridge between art and fashion,” she says. “The process always begins with fabric. I choose vintage ties based on their shape, texture, and feel. Then, using treasures I’ve collected — broken jewelry, antique embroidery, Victorian buttons — I create each piece organically, letting the materials guide the design. It’s a meditative process, and I trust my life experience in aesthetics to shape the outcome.”
One piece, in particular, captures the spirit of her work. After completing a complex embroidery on a silk tie, something felt off. Frustrated, she cut it to pieces but couldn’t bring herself to throw it away. Two years later, she revisited the remnants and reimagined them into a new piece, turning past “failure” into a cornerstone of her collection. “It says so much about time, creativity, and confidence,” she reflects.
Cinelli’s upbringing played no small part in shaping her aesthetic vision. Her mother, a creative force in her own right, ran a fine restaurant and would change outfits for each service — always with flair. “She had a room in the hotel above the restaurant that she transformed into a theater dressing room,” Francesca remembers fondly. “She’d shift from a sweater and pants into a vamp-like silhouette à la Sophia Loren. That freedom and sense of transformation deeply influenced me.”
Her father was a celebrated French chef and sommelier, teaching her that gastronomy, like couture, is an art form—rooted in tradition, imagination, and emotion. Her older brother, too, was instrumental. During her early years in Paris, he introduced her to the world of antiques, textures, and décor, encouraging her to reconnect with her creative side during her PhD studies. “He told me to get involved in something creative again,” she says. “He pointed out that I’d always had a love for fashion—and maybe I should start with ties.”
Today, Bijoux Cravatés pieces are designed to be both collectible art and wearable expressions of identity. “It depends on your personality,” she explains. “Some clients wear them regularly with different outfits, letting the piece tell new stories. Others treat them as objects of art—displaying them, gifting them, or collecting them.”
Though grounded in couture craftsmanship, her creations don’t demand formality. Each piece is meant to be comfortable, accessible, and alive — a personal talisman as much as an accessory. “The shape is meant to be wearable with any kind of clothing,” she explains. “The avant-garde nature is a reflection of your uniqueness. Art should live with you, not sit behind glass.”
Her design techniques are influenced by years of collaboration with couture houses, interior designers, and antique dealers. She credits her time around couture for her meticulous attention to detail — from hand sewing to embellishment. “The level of precision, the care for both the outside and inside of a piece, and the balance of accessories all inform how I approach my work.”
While she hasn’t yet collaborated with couture designers or jewelers, it’s something she hopes to explore in the near future. “I’d love to work with great tie makers or jewelry houses to design collections of Bijoux Cravatés. Incorporating precious stones into my work would be a beautiful evolution.”
For now, she continues to travel extensively, collecting materials from flea markets, artisan workshops, and antique shops throughout Europe and North America. “I never go looking for something specific,” she says. “It’s about wonderment. When something sparks inspiration—whether it’s a plastic bead or a Victorian button—I know it will find its place in a story I want to tell.”
Cinelli’s vision of wearable art is also quietly radical. It speaks to individuality, sustainability, and the deeply human desire to belong while standing out. “We are all unique, and our lives are potentially works of art,” she says. “Wearable art reminds us of that. It invites us to feel more connected—to ourselves, to the past, to craftsmanship. And it allows us to express that connection with elegance.”
As for the future, Francesca Cinelli doesn’t pretend to predict it. But she remains excited by the possibilities. “Wearable art might be a key to rethinking ourselves. To feature our uniqueness. To dress casually, yes—but with a piece that tells a story and brings us back to what really matters: beauty, freedom, and self-expression.”
