How Diana Weaves Two Careers (Fashion and Music)

by | Aug 17, 2020

Meet Diana “Dilee” DiNucci-Maher. She is a creative multi-careerist who navigates the fashion and music worlds with dexterity. A talented singer and songwriter who has released several productions, she also has her own fashion company One Essence. I’ve known her for a few years and have always been impressed with her ability to bring her worlds together and create a coherent and clear aesthetic.

Diana’s careers:

  • Singer, songwriter
  • Fashion designer

On launching her fashion line

“It all started when I couldn’t find a new pair of pants…Then I realized this applied to several other types of garments I had. I needed and searched for modest, slenderizing and most of all comfortable clothing but couldn’t find the styles I liked.”

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On how long she’s had her multiple careers

“Started dabbling in music since 2003….I started fashion designing in July 2018, and commercially presented my manufacturing company’s samples for store and retail orders in Jan 2019.”

Advice to aspiring multi-careerists

“Have one career path in which to make a living. But for the art of what we love doing, enjoy it somehow regardless.”

On how multiple careers are mutually beneficial

“There is a definite cross over between music and fashion. I had a fashion show with models walking out to an audience with my music. It was wonderful to see my creations come to life in sight and sound.”

On managing personal time

“I make it a point if at all possible to stop working around 5-5:30 pm every week in order to be home to make dinner for my family. Occasionally this is not possible…My grown kids have now moved out of the house and my daughter comes every Sunday for dinner so those nights are off limits for work.”

On sharing about her multiple careers with others

“In my fashion world, depending on the customer or vendor, sometimes I let them know that I do both. My website states I am a media artist turned fashion designer. All stores and customers who do not know me personally, I do not let them know about my singer/songwriter career.”

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A Day In the Life

  • Weekday mornings: After morning meditation, take care of the dog, process orders, put together purchase orders for the production team, return emails and important calls, follow up with a few calls to existing or new stores and retail customers
  • Lunch: nutritious meal at home with vitamin D sunshine
  • 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: run around town to my pattern maker to check on new designs or edited revisions and check on her sample maker under her direction
  • 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: check in with production team, drop off trim, labels, more fabric, marker patterns, etc.
  • 3:30 – 4:30 pm: put together info for new labels for new garments.
  • 4:30 – 5:15 pm: pick up any needed fabric, trim, elastic, buttons
  • Every Tuesday: music brainstorming with fellow writers for new song(s)
  • One weekday per week: plant dye more garments
  • Weekends: Music songwriting/practice, organize existing fabric, samples, patterns, family time, household chores, running errands not completed during the week.

Where you can find Diana

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Kabir Sehgal is a Multi Grammy & Latin Grammy Award winner, as well as New York Times bestselling author of fifteen books. His latest work is Close the Loop: The Life of an American Dream CEO and His Five Lessons for Success (Hachette, 2020) with his father Raghbir Sehgal which is a Los Angeles Times & San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Follow him on LinkedInInstagramFacebookTwitterSpotifyYouTube.

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