INTERVIEW with Brisbane Fashion Month 2023 Designer - kimbralou
Above: Photo by JayZoo Photography
SD: Hi Kimbra, for my readers who don’t know you yet, can you please introduce yourself?
K: In the context of this blog kimbralou was a very accidental thing that sprung into my life late 2017.
My real career is as a Cardiology RN where I still work and am about to tick over 39 years in the profession.
I have always had a side hustle mentality and for 20 years before the advent of kimbralou I traded in second hand fashion and toys up at the Caboolture Sunday Market.
Late 2017 I was just mucking around with customising some of the salvaged fashion and selling it amoungst the other market items.
It was popular from the get go and then suddenly RAW Australia called me a fashion designer. I scouted six young people off the street and we did two Runway Showcases back to back with RAW.
From here Laura Churchill contacted me offering kimbralou a place at Brisbane Fashion Month 2018. Laura’s validation basically pulled kimbralou from the underground and from here the brand has been invited to a staggering 30 odd Runways. The last being Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW) this year and the second time the brand has been invited in so many years.
SD: What was the biggest inspiration behind your latest collection?
K: Kimbralou’s latest collection was actually customised to suit the set AAFW We Wear Australian Runway mood board of the Australian outback, beach and forest colour ways. Also, the designs were to have elements of reflections within the final looks.
Also, the finale section of the AAFW We Wear Australian Runway saw 10 Designers selected to customise a look from excess suiting from Thread Together. Kimbralou was chosen as one of the 10 Designers and the brand was in the company of iconic Australian brands.
SD: What helps you get in the zone when you’re designing?
K: As to what gets me in the zone to design is an interesting question and one that I stil don’t know the answer to. I seem to just enter the Vault where all the salvaged pieces are and just start customising a one of a kind, never to be repeated piece. My creative flow is instinctive like breathing. Just weird that it was there inside me for 50 years without me knowing.
SD: How do you want people to feel when wearing your pieces?
K: After all this time of observing people owning a kimbralou piece I am sure that their magic in ‘owning it’ comes from inside them and has nothing to do with kimbralou.
SD: What is your favourite part of being a designer?
K: My favourite part of being a ‘Designer’ is the razzmatazz surrounding the lead up to an event, plus at the event and sharing that with the Official kimbralou Models, Photographers and my daughter Hannah with me. Collectively we are kimbralou.
SD: Without giving too much detail away, what should we expect from your collection for Brisbane Fashion Month?
K: Simply, I will be styling released looks from the website and sending them down the runway on the eight casted Brisbane Fashion Month Models on October 25th @ Metro Arts.
For the duration of the event, kimbralou will be offering a 20% Discount for all released website pieces with the same free express post to get it to owners by Friday.
PLUS A Special 'Buy The Runway' at 30% Discount will be offered during the event with all owned items able to be taken by the owner from the event.
The most exciting thing is all 8 Official kimbralou Models will be styled in the Archived Total Major Looks. With me will be First, Second and Third Gen Official kimbralou Models and the razzamatazz has started…. Hope to see you all x
Tickets are selling fast. If you want to see kimbralou on the runway, get your Brisbane Fashion Month 2023 tickets here
Brisbane Fashion Month Website: http://www.brisbanefashionmonth.com.au/
Brisbane Fashion Month Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brisbanefashionmonth/
Brisbane Fashion Month Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/brisbanefashionmonth/
kimbralou’s social media presence:
Website: http://kimbralou.com.au/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kimbralou/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kimbralou/
Tiktok: http://www.tiktok.com/@kimbralou
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/kimbralou/
Above: Chloe Hayden in kimbralou @ AAFW