Meeting with Kelly De Gaalon GAÂLA’s Creative Director
In a world of fast fashion and fleeting trends, Gaâla stands as a beacon of craftsmanship, intentional design, and quiet luxury. Founded on the belief that garments should tell a story not just of style, but of tradition, artistry, and sustainability the brand continues to carve its path with grace and innovation. In this conversation, the team behind Gaâla shares their creative philosophy, their love of timeless silhouettes, and the artful accidents that sometimes lead to their most cherished pieces.
How does craftsmanship manifest in your collections, and what traditional techniques are you committed to preserving?
Our designs are rooted in an artisanal approach rarely seen today. Unlike mass production, where a garment moves through many hands, most Gaâla pieces are brought to life by a single tailor — or a dedicated team of two. This focused process allows each artisan to take full ownership of the piece, attending to every seam, stitch, and detail with care and precision.
A significant part of our production is done by hand — from hand-sewn buttons to delicate finishes like the pearl detailing on our Delilah dresses. You may not find our tailor’s names on the label, but their signature is in every stitch.
We also have an in-house artist who designs and creates custom prints, embroidery, and handcrafted elements, bringing a personal, distinctive touch to each piece.
What role does fabric innovation play in your design process, and are you exploring any new materials this season?
While we remain devoted to timeless natural fibers like silk, wool, cotton, and linen, fabric innovation is an exciting part of our evolution. This season, we’ve expanded our repertoire with materials made from nature’s byproducts — rose petal cellulose, orange peel, and banana fiber fabrics. But this is just the beginning. We’re only starting to explore the full potential of what happens when nature meets design.
How do you navigate the tension between fashion’s fast-paced cycle and the desire for timelessness in design?
Rather than follow fleeting trends, we focus on creating pieces with lasting relevance — designs that feel just as right today as they will in years to come. Many of our clients return to their Gaâla favorites season after season. Pieces like the Estelle, Isla and Bardot linen dresses, timeless tweed sets such as Margaux, Milana, and Madina, and our signature corsets Esme and Jeanette have become staples.
At the heart of our designs is a commitment to elegance, timelessness, and understated luxury. This ethos is deeply influenced by Parisian fashion. Parisian style is about embracing effortless chic, focusing on subtle details and impeccable tailoring. The fabrics we select, the silhouettes we create, and the overall narrative of each collection are all shaped by this sensibility.
Can you share an example of a design ‘happy accident’ — a moment when something unexpected shaped the outcome of a collection?
Inspiration often comes from the unexpected, whether it’s a team member’s outfit sparking a new idea or a fabric arriving in a slightly different tone than we anticipated. In these moments, we embrace the opportunity to experiment, never wasting material. Sometimes, these happy accidents lead to fresh perspective and a new direction for an entire collection. A fabric that doesn’t quite match the original swatch often finds a place, resulting in unexpected yet successful combinations that elevate the final design.
What’s your philosophy around archiving — do you think about the longevity of pieces as part of a cultural or fashion archive?
We design with the belief that our pieces should live in a wardrobe for decades, becoming beloved staples and one-day cherished keepsakes. Each garment is created with current relevance in mind and with the intention of lasting well beyond trends. We view each piece as part of a living archive — something that can be passed down, reinterpreted, and worn for years.
How do you see the role of the fashion show evolving — do you still see the runway as the pinnacle of storytelling?
The fashion show will always be a powerful form of storytelling, but it’s no longer the only one. As fashion evolves, so does how we connect with our audience. Today, storytelling happens across multiple channels — intimate events, digital spaces, and behind-the-scenes moments. The runway remains important, but it’s just part of a larger, more immersive narrative unfolding through every experience and interaction.
What non-fashion disciplines (art, architecture, music, etc.) have recently influenced the way you construct a collection?
Our collections are often inspired by the locations where we shoot them, as the environment plays a pivotal role in shaping our design process. For example, our Spring collection was shot in sun-soaked Marbella, surrounded by vibrant orange trees and terracotta rooftops. This idyllic setting infused the collection with warm, earthy tones, breezy silhouettes, and airy linens, designed to capture the effortless elegance of coastal Spain.
Our in-house artist created an orange blossom print that was block-printed onto orange peel fabric as part of the collection, adding a unique, handcrafted touch that reflects the essence of the place. The location becomes part of the story, guiding the mood and details of the collection.
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