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Andres Pestana

Andres Pestana

New York, NY, US

 
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About 

Andrés Pestana is a Venezuelan designer, architect, multi-disciplinary creative & stylist.

Website: andrespestana.com/work

EARLY LIFE

Andrés Pestana was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1995 to multi-cultural parents of European descent. Moving to and living in the United States from ages 7 to 11, he was exposed to American pop culture at an early age, creating a deep-seated interest in various music genres including pop, hip-hop & rap, and the fashion intrinsically connected to these genres. After moving back to Venezuela, he began his involvement in design & fashion while in high-school, redesigning famous football (soccer) club uniforms and sharing them on a popular internet blog. Being part of his high-school's varsity football team, he was tasked by his class to design the uniforms for their men & women's teams during junior year.

EDUCATION

In 2013, after graduating high-school from Colegio San Ignacio in Venezuela, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia, where he began his studies in Architecture. In 2017, he graduated from a BFA in Architecture with Summa Cum Laude honors and was accepted into the Master of Architecture program at SCAD. During his Master's degree, he further developed his interest in fashion and multi-disciplinary design, choosing to demonstrate that architecture does not necessarily have to take the form of a building through his graduate thesis. He manifested this concept by utilizing typical architectural processes to develop an interactive installation as the introduction of a fashion brand to the public. During his studies, he advanced his development by taking intensive courses in Construction Project Management at Columbia University and Fashion Design at Parsons in NYC. In late 2020, he returned to SCAD on a hefty scholarship to study fashion design for over a year, before leaving the school to continue his professional career.

CAREER

During his studies, he interned in multiple fields ranging from construction and real estate development to architecture & interior design, including for a renowned real estate development company in New York City at one of the tallest and most complex towers in the city. He started his formal career in 2019 at Fogarty Finger Architects, an architecture and interior design firm in Soho, NYC as a designer. Returning to school during the pandemic to study fashion design for a short stint and leaving in early 2022, he has continued his development as a interdisciplinary creative working on design, architecture & interiors, branding, creative & art direction, and wardrobe styling for multiple artists including Grammy nominated and Latin Grammy award winning singer/songwriters Elena Rose & SpreadLof, up-and-coming producer & artist Oliver Kid, and others, while launching his own apparel brand.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Citing Virgil Abloh & Samuel Ross as some of his primary influences, his design philosophy is evocative of his formation as a creative. He is particularly interested in cross-disciplinary work where intricate conceptual frameworks are created - in creative work whose goal is to start conversations that inspire and empower current and next generations of artists & designers, openly sharing knowledge and stimulating curiosity. His creative approach is architectural by nature and always follows a why? how? what? structure. He strongly believes that design and art should go hand in hand, not only serving to fulfill a specific function but also serving as a medium for the consumer to experience a personal transformation through interaction with the work. As a designer, he aspires for his work to serve as a trigger for analytical and critical thinking that will stimulate valuable conversation and motivate people to be involved in creative endeavors.

Elsewhere:

Employment 

AARCH LLC, New York, NY, US, Freelance Designer

- Developed architecture & interiors renovation projects for various clients
- Developed and produced creative direction campaigns, brand books, and presentations
- Directed & developed graphic identity, social media & storytelling assets
- Designed and developed branding, garments, packaging & content for apparel brands
- Performed & developed design sets & design consultancy for multiple clients
- Performed wardrobe styling for award & live shows, music videos & panels for mult. artists incl. Grammy nominated singer/songwriters Elena Rose & SpreadLof, Myke Towers & others

Mar 2022 - current
 

Fogarty Finger, New York, NY, US, Junior Architect

- Developed and produced concept presentations for multiple clients/projects
- Developed schematic design, design development & construction document sets for multiple projects including architectural drawings, pricing packages and spec. selection
- Performed construction administration for multiple projects

Oct 2019 - Jul 2020
 

JDS Development Group, New York, NY, US, Construction Intern

- Performed construction inspections and created periodic project updates
- Performed material takeoffs and created material/inspection tracking logs
- Guided tours of the construction site for the 111 W 57th St. project by SHoP Architects

Jun 2018 - Aug 2018
 

Domo Architecture, New York, NY, US, Design & Construction Intern

- Worked on and supervised construction for various residential & commercial projects
- Developed floor plans, sections, elevations & detailing; sel. interior & exterior finishes

Jun 2016 - Aug 2016
 

AyR Arquitectos, Caracas, Venezuela, Architectural Designer

- Developed floor plans, sections, elevations and detailing for 2 residences
- Selected finishes for interior and exterior areas; furniture and landscaping
- Supervised on site construction

Jun 2014 - Aug 2015
 

Education 

Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA, US, Masters, Master of Architecture

Sep 2017 - Jun 2019
 

Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA, US, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Architecture

Graduated Summa Cum Laude at the top of my class from a BFA in Architecture at SCAD

Sep 2013 - May 2017
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills