From a very young age my sights were always set on designing my own clothing brand, and I have never lost sight of that vision.
My inspiration has come from a hard working Italian background. My father, Giuseppe Marino, and my grandfather, Pellegrino Marino, have both been strong influences in my life. These two father figures have been my stimulation behind Gee Pelli of London.
My grandfather Pelli sadly passed away almost a decade ago, he was a typical old school Italian from the Amalfi Coast region of Italy in the Province of Avellino. True to the more peasant way of life he and my grandmother farmed the land. It was in the war years when supplies were rationed that my grandfather Pelli ran a market stall selling second hand jeans. In the mid 1960’s he came to London with his family, my father was only 3 years old at the time, and when he reached his teenage years he worked in a menswear shop in North London where he adopted his sense for designer clothes. From there he went on to set up his own business in wholesale fashion.
I have been most fortunate whilst growing up to watch my father expand his own company, and wanting to follow in his footsteps I decided to design my own range which I positively believe in, and start up a company of my own at the now age of 26 years…and so Gee Pelli was born!!! I am blessed to have a loving and supportive family behind me, and to also have the loyal guidance of my fiancé who drives me to be successful, and allows me to get lost in my creativity for new concepts in the way we wear our jeans.
I am currently full of new and exciting ideas and designs not only for my jeans but for a complete Gee Pelli clothing range in the future!