How PatBo’s Patricia Bonaldi Is Bringing Fashion Craftsmanship to a New, Global Generation

In our long-running series “How I’m Making It,” we talk to people making a living in the fashion and beauty industries about how they broke in and found success.

When Patricia Bonaldi began making clothes as a child in her hometown of Uberlandia, Brazil, the fashion industry was not exactly set up for her to succeed. To break through in a rigorously competitive capital like New York City, for example, she would first have to “make it” in South America, then calculate a jump to the U.S. market — all without a formal design education, and, ultimately, without the financial security that plots “nepo babies” on the fast-track to headlining New York Fashion Week.

But Bonaldi has never been scared of a challenge.

In 2021 — nine years after launching her exuberant, sensual formalwear label PatBO (and two decades after founding the original Patricia Bonaldi brand) — Bonaldi made her NYFW debut, also opening her first New York City store in SoHo on the same cobblestoned street that houses storefronts for Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co.

“My first runway in New York was very meaningful for me,” Bonaldi remembers, on a Zoom call from São Paulo, where the brand is now based. “It was a day I’ll never, ever forget. For a girl who started in a small town in Brazil, that was a milestone. I never take anything for granted.”

And yet, Bonaldi’s path to the proverbial design mountaintop was not a straight shot. Her professional journey first brought her to law school, which represented a safer, more stable alternative to years spent chasing a fashion career that may not even exist. Still, she kept one foot in the fashion waters, operating her custom gown business as a side hustle, and eventually trusting her intuition enough to leave law school and pursue her brand full-time.

It was a gamble that paid off: Today with 1.2 million Instagram followers of her own, her brand enjoys top billing at stores all around the planet (including in 23 U.S. states), and counts a growing client roster of “It” celebrities like Anya Taylor Joy, Paris Hilton and Selena Gomez.

Story continues

“The dress that Anya Taylor Joy wore [for ‘Live With Kelly and Ryan’] was one of my favorites, and I just love her,” says Bonaldi. “I dress a lot of women, but it’s special when you connect with a client who you really admire.”

But her largest accomplishment to date can be found back in Uberlandia. In 2010, she opened a school that helps train local artisans in various craftsmanship skills, from embroidery to sewing, and prepares them to enter the workforce in the field of their choosing. To date, more than 500 women have passed through Bonaldi’s school, with hopefully many, many, many more to come. Such is Bonaldi’s plan, after all.

“It’s not only teaching them how to do the techniques,” she says. “It’s also about helping them understand how important and beautiful this kind of craftsmanship is.”

Ahead, we spoke to Bonaldi about quitting her safety net and following her dreams, all while amplifying the community she came from.

You began designing and making clothes as a child, alongside your mother. Tell me about that time and about the origins of your interest in fashion, before you pursued it as a career.

It started with my mom in my hometown because we never bought clothes at the store, so she always took us to a fabric store. That fabric store was like Disneyland for me — I wanted to play with everything. But at that point, I never felt that I could be a professional. It was always just a hobby.

I love all the people who used to work at the store, and they knew that I really loved fashion. Even now, they say, “Patricia’s here, let’s help her!” They watched me grow up. That store was a big part of my life.

Did your Brazilian upbringing influence the way you think about creativity and self-expression?

We’re very experimental. We’re never afraid to mix things, like textures. I like to mix a lot of textures. I’m never afraid to do crazy things. It’s how my creativity flows.

Brazil is about curiosity, playfulness. I know it requires a lot of work, but I try to enjoy the process. This is part of our culture. We’re always trying to find joy in what we do. And I can only talk about me, but I’m never taking myself so seriously. Fashion should be an opportunity to express yourself, to play and to not just show perfect things for the world.

PatBO started off as a side hustle when you were in law school. How did you decide to commit to the brand full-time?

I never thought I could be a fashion designer as my profession. I was always afraid that I didn’t know if I could succeed, or if I could make money doing it. People think about this all the time. Fashion is a “maybe” for many people.

So I decided to go to law school, and actually, I was very good at it. [Laughs] But I also had a small store in my hometown, and I was in my final year of school when people started going crazy about the clothes I was making — all at the same time that I needed to do a lot of work for school. I needed to make a decision. I was at my limit. I couldn’t keep doing both things anymore.

My husband told me, “Go for fashion. This is your talent. Everyone wants your dresses, so you should do this.” I was very insecure, but he encouraged me a lot. I decided to leave law school and embrace fashion for the rest of my life.

It was a very scary decision, because school represented, at that time, my future. It was my chance. But I knew I should commit to fashion, and I had this kind of confirmation from my clients and everyone else who was begging for my dresses, too.

Your designs have become fixtures on the red carpet and a mainstay within a wide range of retailers. How have you gone about building your consumer base with such a diverse subset of clientele?

I don’t know if it’s just because of the kinds of clothes I make, but I have a very feminine, very bold brand. I encourage women. I don’t think my clients are afraid of being bold. This creates emotional connections with my clients because my clothes make them feel amazing, and they choose the brand for special occasions. I’m always happy about that. It tells me a lot, that I give them confidence, a special feeling that all women want. I’m part of their lives somehow. When I meet clients for the first time, they always want to show me pictures of how they wore my dresses for their birthday parties, for their weddings.

How have you gone about building and, ultimately, scaling your team as you’ve grown your business?

I’m very lucky because I have a very, very strong team. But I wouldn’t even say I’m “lucky” because I’m a perfectionist, so if I want something, I’m going to do it. I’m going to find a way. [Laughs]

For example, beachwear — it’s a new thing for me. Our beachwear business started six years ago, and it was so different from everything that I used to do in the past. But I was lucky enough to gather very, very good people to do this work with me. And when they aren’t as strong, I train them. I’m the kind of person that will pursue excellence in everything I do. And I think people know this, and they come work with me because of it.

What have been some of the most significant changes you’ve witnessed in the industry since you first started?

There’s been a lot. I could tell you about many, but I’ll tell about one that’s impacted me and that I think is very positive. Now, people are starting to understand that fashion is a big stage for many things. A lot of responsibility comes with this, right? We as fashion designers influence people all the time.

We’re starting to respond better to this. All the conversations that are happening right now — inclusivity, body positivity — are really important. And in the past, it was something that was quiet; now, it’s something we need to do. I love this. I think we’re responsible as a society, but in fashion, especially, because we have more attention and we have louder voices. I think we’re doing a good job, but there’s a lot of work to do.

You’ve also established a school in your hometown, along with your atelier, where local women are taught craftsmanship skills. Why was that important to you, and what has that process been like?

I’m very, very proud of this. I started it 15 years ago — so many years before people were talking about this concept of “giving back” to their communities.

We have a lot of people in my hometown that love to do this kind of handmade work. I’m very privileged, too, that I was born in a place like this, because it’s not common, even in Brazil. But these skills could be something that could disappear in a few years, because people may not need to do handmade work. Everything is about technology. People don’t want to talk about handmade work, but it’s what we do in our culture. So I decided to open a school, and I invited women to learn craftsmanship skills for free — we never charge anyone — and I chose the best people to teach them.

I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and we’ve already trained more than 500 women. And they don’t need to work with me when they finish. They can go and work in their homes, or they can open their own business, or they can work for my competitor. It doesn’t matter.

But it’s been amazing for my business, too, because I have all these people working with me that have these skills, [the results of which] you can see on my runways and in my collections. It’s an amazing opportunity to give back to my hometown and keep doing the work I love. It’s a win-win.

What I want to do in the near future is to open our school for other kinds of techniques, not only embroidery. We recently started to teach sewing. In the future, I see us opening a school that teaches many techniques, like graphic design. So many experts work with me: pattern makers, graphic designers, fashion designers. This is knowledge we could share in many different ways.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out and looking to follow a similar career path?

It may sound easy, but it’s something I really believe in: A career in fashion is not only about beautiful clothes. I think that when people dream about working in fashion, they don’t always have an idea of what’s behind it, the responsibility you need to have as a leader within your community. You need to be prepared for everything, not just for the fame or money. Enjoy the process, because there will never be a perfect moment. You always have your problems and your stress. So I try to enjoy the process.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Want the latest fashion industry news first? Sign up for our daily newsletter.