the OCELOT story

Like the wildcat for which it is named, the nature of Ocelot clothing is wild, playful, elegant and rare. Rare in that it's textile patterns are created through a hand dyeing technique that is uncommon and is becoming increasingly culturally extinct in an industry where mass production rules over the traditional skills of hand-dyeing. The elegance of the clothing lies in it's classic lines that are cut to fit and enhance the body and bring forth it's sculptural form while playing with patterns that are boldly rhythmic in their mirrored repetition. A wildness is found in the interplay of unusual and dense colors, and interactive, transformable garments that encourage one to play with the dressing styles of nomads, gypsies, bold peasants and ambassadors from distant lands.

As an artist driven to express her passion for color through the dye process, Angelina DeAntonis's explorations in textile arts and clothing design are born of her intrigue with visually altering the body and pushing cultural constraints of how we dress in our "American Culture". Frustrated with dull and boring colors and unflattering styles, Angelina departed from her costume designing in 1998, and on her birthday went to city hall to proclaim her new business "Ocelot". She chose to call the line Ocelot rather than using her name so that it could one day become a larger entity, and possibly a worker owner cooperative, making unique clothing inspired by her design aesthetic. Her intent was to make a line of clothing that utilized natural fiber fabrics and plant dyes, and whose comfortable and durable styles would endure time. A deeper sentiment was that she wanted to change the way people dressed, garnering an appreciation for hand made textiles while bringing forth one's personal connection to nature and beauty. With a permeating quote in mind from a film about the Huichol Indians of Mexico, "to make clothing so beautiful to make the sun rise each day", Angelina went forth into the world of clothing without training in fashion or clothing design. It seems that the spirit of the Ocelot imbued itself into the work, as she found herself drawn to the itajime dye process that she had favored in her textile and costume work. It's bold, luminous character became the focus of the designs. An ever-evolving exploration of the Itajime dye process continues to inspire new designs.

The striking dye-work is now what customers seek, proclaiming that the clothing makes them feel beautiful, that it suits so closely, it seems it was made for them personally. Ocelot's customers love the fit, the excellent crafting of the clothes, their versatility and comfort, the unusual colors and timeless styles.

Driven by the original intent to make clothing that is made of renewable materials and produced in a sustainable manner, Ocelot's future plans are to integrate organic cotton and other natural plant fibers that are grown in an ecologically responsible way, and to utilize more plant dyes, while continuing to honor and support the hand-skills of it's makers in this country. [ top ]

Angelina DeAntonis

Internationally recognized textile and clothing designer Angelina DeAntonis began Ocelot clothing in 1998. The desire to create comfortable and unique clothing paired with an unusual sensibility for color initiated the Ocelot clothing line. Inspiring her approach to design is a passion for the textiles and clothing of many traditional cultures. They express a refined yet raw connection to the beauty of life, where form and function are harmonious.

Angelina's journey through visual and artistic mediums has led her to explore many forms and materials. Early college studies in Architecture followed by a focus in photography cultivated her visual and theoretical interests in people and the space they inhabit. Being a person with many building skills, including carpentry and metal fabrication, Angelina felt drawn to sculpture, and was curious about textiles. While living in Colorado, she joined the Weavers Guild and became fascinated with tribal textiles, dyeing, and shibori.

In Oakland, Angelina set up her own textile studio. Here, surface design and sculpture merged into experimental costume design, which earned her a Fellowship in Costume Design from the City of Oakland Cultural Arts. The Fellowship culminated in the theatrical show "Moving in Costume; a visual and Auditory Circus of Intrigue", in which dancers collaborated with her costumes to choreograph performances.

She then traveled to India for five months to learn more about natural dyeing and traditional textiles of Western India. In Gujarat, she had the incredible opportunity to teach natural dyeing to a master bandhani (fine tie-dye) artisan, an experience which still influences her work.

Returning to San Francisco, she gained a reputation as a freelance costume designer for dance, as well as for children's theatre. Eventually Angelina began to feel the necessity to realize her own projects, and she began envisioning a line of clothing. Early experiments with natural dyes and fold and clamp resist technique, or Itajime, evolved into the first Ocelot shirt. The shirt inspired a whole line of knit clothing with Itajime. Angelina continues to develop Ocelot as an ever-changing artistic clothing line. [ top ]