Ivanna Fontana was born for greatness. Ivanna grew up in an Italian family where her grandparents had migrated to Australia in the 1960s. Ivanna was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia and from a young age was influenced by her mother with fashion and style. Ivanna took part in many modeling and dancing shows where her mum would put together and make her outfits. This is where she soon discovered her passion and pursued studying fashion design after high school.
As a young girl, Ivanna always saw her mom was very well put together; and was influenced with her mothers style and elegance. She described it more, “My mom was always so elegantly put together, her demeanor, her poise.” This alone was heavily influenced by how Ivanna would dress and style. Her mom always styled their house and had a good eye for shopping for unique items. Ivanna says her creative eye and sense of style are definitely from her mom.
With an innate desire for self expression and creativity Ivanna studied fashion design after high school. After graduating with a Diploma of Fashion and Textiles, she spent time building her brand and learning the necessary skills to be a sought-after stylist by working at some of the biggest events around the world, including Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Berlin and Sydney, The Oscars, The Grammys and styling NBA and golfing athletes.
Ivanna’s first trip to LA was a 2 week trip that turned into 2 months, after visiting LA back and forth over a 2 year period. She then went through the process of getting her visa and finally moved to LA in 2022. She built her contacts and gained even more experience being right where she dreamed of being and working with some of the most inspiring creatives within the industry.
As a stylist, Ivanna gets her inspiration from multiple sources, different cultures, music and dance, where many forms of self-expression can shine through. She is fascinated and inspired by learning from different creatives in different industries and loves being exposed to new designers and style aesthetics, especially from African designers. Vintage has also been a huge inspiration as well.
Most recently, Ivanna styled an ex-pageant queen/model turned professional gamer and Mary from Netflix TV show Selling Sunset. She also styled music producer from Grammy award winning duo, FNZ. Ivanna has worked with Naomi Watts and Monica Barbaro for this year’s Oscars and Vanity Fair events as well. She also styled Trae Young for the FW22 Adidas Basketball Campaign.
Ivanna’s advice to those who want to follow this path is, “Know what your vision is and who you are. This will allow you to stay aligned with your goals and on the right path. Be so clear on what you want to create that you can clearly communicate that to people and constantly work on your craft as an artist. Faith is key to withstanding the uncertainty and cutthroat nature of the industry. Learn to deal with rejection and work on building a positive mindset daily to be prepared for anything. A strong foundation within self is everything to thriving in this industry and city.”
Coming from another country and a small town, Ivanna believes having the right network can take you far.
Follow Ivanna Fontana:
Instagram @ivannafontana
Website is www.ivannafontana.com
