Photos are by Liliana Photography

When Patricia DeLisa first moved to New York City, it was to
join other aspiring young models in an apartment owned by the Ford Modeling
Agency. It was not long before DeLisa realized that her true passion was for
creating the designs, not modeling them.

Patricia DeLisa

Fast-forward to today and DeLisa has realized her dream of
designing for her own apparel company. She is the creator of Cozy Cocoon, an
adorably chic infant swaddling garment that helps to soothe the baby as well.
Cozy Cocoon has gained an international following among some rather fussy
customers and their equally discerning parents. She talks about her role as a
designer for the very youngest fashionistas…

Actually,
it seems I was born with a passion for design. As a toddler I carried a big
suitcase full of clothes and a giant baby doll everywhere I went. I would
change the clothes all day long. I had many brothers and sisters, so I
had a big stash of clothes to choose from to add to my suitcase! And, whenever
I could sneak into the nursery of the real baby I would; I had to change the
clothes as fast as I could so my mom wouldn’t catch me!

I got my first sewing machine at the age of 12. It was so
magical to me, and I never stopped sewing from that point on. I attended F.I.T., where I won all the awards for design in my
class.My teacher then hired me to design at the London Fog coat company.

In 1998, as a mom with 27 nieces and nephews, I came up with
this idea to calm my fussy newborn niece. The idea flashed into my head and I
knew I could find a way to gently hold her flailing arms with
cotton/spandex! I went to the store that moment and bought a piece of stretchy
cotton fabric. I made the first pattern on the baby that day.  That was the
beginning of the Cozy Cocoon.

No ties, no snaps, no buttons, no straps. It slips onto the
baby like a sock. So you simply scrunch it up like a sock and stretch it onto
the baby for a perfect swaddle every time. No uncomfortable zippers or Velcro,
no complicated wrapping or strapping. It’s soft, stretchy cotton and it has a
flip back pocket for easy diaper access. So you can change the diaper without
startling the baby.

We use pure cottons of a nice 10 oz. weight with just a little
spandex, 5%, so the baby can stretch and explore naturally. This allows for the
fabric to hug the baby close without the worry of unraveling fabric. My design ideas come from the world around me, the beautiful
babies I see everyday, and the fun whimsical ideas that are constantly popping
up in my head.

Is it challenging to work with
your very young models?

Yes! We have so much fun with the beautiful babies that come to
our photo shoots. It takes a lot of patience to wait for the baby to
cooperate. It is such a blessing to be in the presence of so many newborns and
to dress them in these adorable outfits. The moms and dads are always so
happy. It’s a very rewarding experience.