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| ⚫ | ''Jeffrey Sebelia''' (born ], ]) is an ] ] and founder of the clothing label Cosa Nostra. He is the winner of Season 3 of the ] '']''. | ||
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| ==Career== | ==Career== | ||
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| Jeffrey Sebelia's rise to success hasn't been without hardship. He shared a very violent relationship with his ] aficionado father, who divorced his mother when Jeff was only 8. Soon after, Jeffrey, who felt responsible for the divorce, began experimenting with ] and ] to mask the pain. By the time he was 16, he was a ] addict living in a friend's garage. The following 15 years were filled with numerous, yet failed, attempts to get sober at a number of West Coast drug treatment centers <ref> Confirms things such as his long-time friendship with guitarist ], as well as many things involving his rough past.</ref> | Jeffrey Sebelia's rise to success hasn't been without hardship. He shared a very violent relationship with his ] aficionado father, who divorced his mother when Jeff was only 8. Soon after, Jeffrey, who felt responsible for the divorce, began experimenting with ] and ] to mask the pain. By the time he was 16, he was a ] addict living in a friend's garage. The following 15 years were filled with numerous, yet failed, attempts to get sober at a number of West Coast drug treatment centers <ref> Confirms things such as his long-time friendship with guitarist ], as well as many things involving his rough past.</ref> | ||
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Revision as of 13:25, 31 October 2006
Jeffrey Sebelia' (born May 30, 1970) is an American fashion designer and founder of the clothing label Cosa Nostra. He is the winner of Season 3 of the reality show Project Runway.
Career
In addition to the fashion industry, Sebelia has dabbled in the music field. In the early 1990s, along with Mike Coulter, John Rozas and Anthony Scarpa, he was a member of the band Lifter, which was signed by Interscope Records. They had a minor radio hit with the song "402," but the label seemingly lost interest in the group, and they disbanded. Lifter's song "Swing" was featured in Jeffrey's runway show at Olympus Fashion Week.
Before finding his true calling as a designer, he had a short stint as a production designer for commercials and music videos.
After a successful drug rehabilitation at the age of 31, Sebelia enrolled in sewing classes at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. It was there that he immediately fell in love with design, and shortly after he started the clothing line Cosa Nostra. Among his celebrity clients are Dave Navarro, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Tommy Lee. The Cosa Nostra label is available in select stores worldwide, and the line is proving to be a hit among the general public, as well, as stores that carry it often have trouble keeping it in stock.
In the spring of 2006, Sebelia auditioned for the hit Bravo series Project Runway after seeing the success his friend, former contestant Santino Rice, had enjoyed. Jeffrey was selected to compete, was one of the final four contestants to display their collections at Fashion Week, and was chosen the winner. He had been portrayed as the third season's "villain," notorious for his expletive language and making fellow contestant Angela Keslar's mother cry, but fellow contestants like Alison Kelly have disputed this, saying he was far nicer than the program's editing indicated.
Just two days before the runway show, Sebelia was investigated for charges brought against him by fellow contestant Laura Bennett. After seeing the amount of work Jeffrey had finished, and the magnificent details on his garments, she brought her concerns about his having hired outside help to the show's designers' assistant, Tim Gunn. Jeffrey was cleared of any wrongdoing, and Gunn stated he "completely believed that Jeffrey sewed the garments himself." However, because he had exceeded the $8,000 budget, he was forced to eliminate 12 platimun blonde wigs he had intended for his models to wear and a pair of pleated leather shorts. Because the receipt for the allowable pleating done on another pair of leather shorts couldn't be found, Jeffrey replaced them with a pair of leather pants.
As one of the final four contestants, Sebelia presented a full collection at Olympus Fashion Week. Filled with bright colors, flowing dresses, and smart separates, his collection was strikingly different from the trademark grunge, punk, and rock 'n' roll-style outfits he had created throughout the season. Following the show, several fashion websites and blogs predicted he had the best chance of winning.
The predictions became reality when, on October 18, 2006, Jeffrey Sebelia was declared the winner of Season 3.
His winnings include $100,000 to develop his own clothing line, a 2007 Saturn Sky Roadster, a year's representation by Designer's Management, and a 15-page spread - featuring Marilinda Rivera, the model with whom he was paired during most of the Project Runway challenges - in ELLE magazine.
Personal life
Jeffrey Sebelia's rise to success hasn't been without hardship. He shared a very violent relationship with his Hell's Angels aficionado father, who divorced his mother when Jeff was only 8. Soon after, Jeffrey, who felt responsible for the divorce, began experimenting with cocaine and marijuana to mask the pain. By the time he was 16, he was a heroin addict living in a friend's garage. The following 15 years were filled with numerous, yet failed, attempts to get sober at a number of West Coast drug treatment centers
At the age of 31, Sebelia's girlfriend left him and, after spending weeks crying and self-medicating with LSD and Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), he decided to take his own life. His roommate came home just as he was starting to hang himself from a chandelier and thwarted the suicide attempt. This would prove to be the wake-up call that Sebelia needed. The Musicians' Assistance Program funded what would be Jeffrey's final rehab facility stay, and he has been clean-and-sober since.
Sebelia and his girlfriend, actress Melanie Vesey, currently live in Los Angeles with their young son, Harrison Detroit.
Trivia
- Has been friends with Dave Navarro since they were teens.
- His neck tattoo took more than eight hours to complete. It reads "Harrison Detroit l’amor de la mia vita." It is his son's name, along with the phrase "is the love of my life," in Italian.
- In an interview, Angela Keslar admitted that Sebelia did apologize to her for various incidents between the two, but the apologies were never aired.
References
- Interview with fellow contestant, Alison Kelly, confirming her friendship with Sebelia, and positive thoughts on his personality.
- In depth LA Times Interview, with Jeffrey Sebelia. Confirms things such as his long-time friendship with guitarist Dave Navarro, as well as many things involving his rough past.
- People magazine article, about the meaning of Jeffrey's neck tattoo..
- Interview with Angela Keslar
External links
| Preceded bySeason 2 | Project Runway Season 3 |
Succeeded bySeason 4 |
| Preceded byChloe Dao | Project Runway winner Season 3 |
Succeeded byunknown |