Lucky Nahum

Passionate. Sexy. Free. Intense. Alive.

Lucky's textured palette of emotions is as sensual and vibrant as his line of apparel. His designs are an expression of his philosophy—and a way for his customers to say something about who they are, too.

A double-collar shirt from Lucky's "x te da me" collection.Take a look at his work and you'll see why. The Rochester, NY, fashion designer is a seasoned craftsman and merchant whose chosen canvas has been clothing for more than 30 years.

“I was born into it, my father was a Master Tailor and my mom a Master Seamstress,” he says of his parents, Quint and Angela Nahum, who emigrated from Libya with Lucky and his brother, Armando, in 1967.

Since he first opened a store in Rochester back in 1978, Lucky has grown into a full-fledged designer. He began to design and sell silk fabrics and ties to top men's stores around the world 16 years ago.

Today, his little fashion empire, Always Get Lucky, Inc., has evolved into collections of shirts, neckties and scarves. Designed in Rochester. Made in Italy. For real.

Lucky“'Made in Italy' is a misnomer known throughout the industry—that's extremely important,” he says. “That's why my labels don't say 'Made in Italy' but rather 'Really Really Made in Italy.'”

Lucky used to sell his collections to high-end boutiques around the globe. Today, he leans toward direct sales, selling his clothing—and pieces by designers such as Bill Lavin and Vivek Nagrani—through alwaysgetlucky.com.

“I continue to redesign the business model under which the fashion industry has worked for decades,” he says, explaining that the pressure for higher margins isn't worth the battle with retailers.

He prefers instead to reach people through outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.

Rochester model Michael Murphy strikes a pose in one of Lucky's fine shirts. Photo by Rome Celli.“Social networking is my main form of marketing,” he says. “I also have a following that I have built over the years and collections. Brands seek me out.”

One exception to his direct-sales model? You can find his pieces at Eye Candy Clothing, a boutique in Rochester's East End.

“My decision to have Eye Candy carry my work had everything to do with being part of this community. [Owner] Nadine Ball and I worked together on lower margins so that Rochester could, in the end, be part of something it had indirectly contributed to,” he says.

You might think fortune has smiled on a guy who has success sewn into every garment. But being Lucky has nothing to do with luck, he'll tell you.

“I have lived long enough to see luck exist, but I don't see it as a wise game-plan to wait for it,” he says.

“In the end, I believe in creating your own luck.”


See more: www.alwaysgetLucky.com

Say hi: info@alwaysgetLucky.com and on Facebook



Romolo “Rome” Celli

Where there’s fashion to be found, he’s not far behind—camera in hand.

Rome has an eye for emotion, texture, and mood, human subjects and otherwise. Makes sense: for 30 years, he’s been portraying properties in their most flattering light as a real estate broker.

Gorgeous fabric, form, shoes, movement, color, texture, hats. These comprise Rome’s muse. Featured here: clothing and hats from dado boutique and Godiva’s Vintage Clothing. Accessories from Joette's on Monroe. Model: Jaclyn O'Dell.

But it’s the movement of fabric, the shine of patent leather, and the intrigue of a smoldering glance where Rome’s passion truly shines.

“I'm deeply interested in editorial and commercial fashion photography,” he says.

Rome has worked with area lifestyle magazines and he’s also captured local events, such as a recent fashion show at Good Luck. Then there’s the steady stream of small, trendy shops around town, such as Godiva’s Vintage Clothing, dado boutique, and Joette’s on Monroe, who’ve all worked with him to showcase their collections.

While much of his work is close to home, Rome is not averse to hitting the road for juicy projects.

“Especially for designers and retailers all around western New York, north to Toronto, south to New York City and west to Columbus,” he says.

He recently worked with Buffalo designer and retailer Báles Clothing Company.

“I would travel anywhere to shoot for a commercial gig,” he says. He’s also in the middle of a local shoot for Minneapolis-based designer Samantha Rei.

Through the years, his influences have evolved alongside his talent. One of his earliest?

From a shoot for Thomas Lee Designs. Model: Kayte Dies.“An inspiring high school teacher and a couple of friends plugged me into a photography club and introduced me to shooting and developing film,” he says.

Today, he adds some bigger names to the list. Richard Avedon. Steven Meisel. Craig McDean. Javier Vallhonrat. Sophie Delaporte. And Mario Testino.

Rome is in the midst of expanding his Elton Street studio. But that’s merely home base. He loves location shoots, and many of them feature iconic Upstate and Western New York locales as you’ve never seen them before. Downtown high rises. The Lake Ontario shoreline. Favorite pubs. And historic gems with just the right amount of decay to add some gothic drama, where appropriate.

Oh, and then there’s the gravel pit.

“Scheduled to shoot there next month,” Rome says.

Anything for fashion. 

Rome See more: ROCimage.com, Rome on Flickr

Say hi: romolo@ROCimage.com, Rome on Twitter