Natalia Fedner


Natalia Fedner is an American fashion designer and actress best known for her unorthodox use of metal textiles and knitting in evening wear.

Early life and education

Fedner was born in Chernivtsi, in the Ukrainian SSR, and immigrated to Columbus, Ohio as a refugee at the age of six with her parents. Her mother, Alla Fedner, is a computer programmer, and her father, Gregory Fedner, is a civil engineer. She has twin sisters who were born in the United States.
Fedner attended art classes at Columbus College of Art and Design on a merit-based scholarship from the third through twelfth grade.
After graduating from Bexley High School in Columbus, Ohio, Fedner completed the Fashion Design BFA program at Parsons School of Design . During her freshman year she was selected to compete in "Fusion Fashion: FIT vs. Parsons" and received the Fusion Award. Fedner studied under Tim Gunn at Parsons and won the Silver Thimble Award for best collection her junior year. During her senior year her designs were featured in the Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Window Display.

Career

Following internships for Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs, Fedner worked as a design assistant at Calvin Klein Women's Collection under Francisco Costa.
In 2014 Fedner was cast as a contestant on the first season of Lifetime's Project Runway: Under the Gunn, where she finished sixth.
Fedner was a costume designer on the second season of Epic Rap Battles of History. The popular YouTube series won a Streamy Award for the best use of fashion and design for that season.
In 2014 Fedner launched her eponymous haute couture label in Los Angeles. Jennifer Lopez wore a Natalia Fedner haute couture knit gown in her First Love music video, becoming the first celebrity to publicly mention the new label during an interview with Entertainment Tonight in May 2014.
"Natalia Fedner" designs have been worn by a number of notable celebrities including actress Charlize Theron, actor/singer Lenny Kravitz, actress/singer Jennifer Lopez, television and social media personality Kim Kardashian West, singer Shakira, television personality Giuliana Rancic, singer Jessie J, fashion model and television personality Kendall Jenner, actress/director Rose McGowan, singer Gloria Trevi, actress Pamela Anderson, actress Andrea Anders, and American Horror Story actress Naomi Grossman.
In 2016, Entertainment Tonight reported that Beyoncé wore a Natalia Fedner metal dress in Lemonade and predicted Fedner would soon be a household name. Fedner custom made the piece for Beyoncé under the direction of stylist B Akerlund for the underwater scene and was listed as one of the top looks in the HBO film by Harper's Bazaar, Elle, and New York Magazine's The Cut.