"The gold is a symbol that God's heaven is filled with streets paved in gold," Greco, 36, explained from her Locust Street design studio. "The feathers symbolize God coming to us on eagle's wings."
But not all of the pieces strictly follow a woman's curves. On a recent morning, Greco, dressed in an all-black catsuit, worked her way through a rack of flowing separates, a major part of the collection. With turquoise fingernails, Greco pulled out a floor-length, deep-V caftan - a lion's face emblazoned on the back.
The lion is among the five bold prints commissioned for the collection.
"In Revelations, the lion is described as the king of the beasts," Greco said.
Is she superreligious?
"Not at all," said Greco, who doesn't belong to a religious denomination. "But I do practice my faith. I think people are thinking about the end of the world."
Greco's runway will be at an airy, swanky space in New York's Meatpacking District; it's part of an emerging five-show collective called the Designer's Loft. Each year, more and more emerging designers are debuting during Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, the bulk of whose shows are at Milk Studios, also in the district.
A former financial consultant for Charles Schwab, Greco made a career change five years ago while living in Miami. The self-taught designer used to make clothing for her friends and do their makeup. After seven years in the financial industry, she realized she wanted to follow her passion. She held her first show at the Miami Art Museum and, during the Art Basel festival, began making contacts in the industry.
