Nony Tochterman has come a long way since first learning how to sew at age 7. At 11 she was selling feathered earrings to girls in her neighborhood, and by 17 she sold her first hand-loomed sweater in her mother's boutique. But it wasn't until 1996 that she went pro, founding Petro Zillia, a whimsical take on high fashion, full of bold hues, retro-inspired trends, and one-of-a-kind patchwork. And by 2006 the designer opened her first retail store; became a hit with the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Madonna, and Lindsay Lohan; and landed in the pages of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, and Elle.