Gabriella Marina Gonzalez
Born in America to Cuban parents and now based in London, 21-year-old Gabriella Marina Gonazelaz is one of those girls you see everywhere, from Monmouth Street to music videos to the pages of Dazed & Confused - but designing is her real passion. After a period working for Jean Pierre Braganza, Gonzalez is in no hurry to break through commercially, content to make gradual progress towards her own label.
Q & A
How long have you been designing?
I started learning to sew at 14, the odd nineties denim bag. I had my first fashion show at 17.
I'm interested in both mens- and womenswear, I don't find that I connect better with one or the other, I think I need them both in order to have all my options open for expressing myself. I don't believe in the divide. At the end of the day it's what you feel comfortable in as the wearer not who it was meant for.
How would you describe your style?
Unwearable, idealistic and impractical, which at the moment suits me perfectly.
What inspires you at the moment?
Dinosaurs and ballerinas, off-kilter seventies underground music, the Penguin Book of Gay Short Stories.
Were you interested in fashion when you were growing up?
I come from a long line of "fashion" family. My grandmother came to America as an immigrant from communist Cuba and worked sewing to support her family; my dad did his best to get away from fashion, but after a short-lived career as a doctor where he threw up over a corpse he went into fashion as well, only to leave it for art; and here I am, third in line.
What was your favourite outfit from your youth?
Oh dear, I caught the last days of grunge - sort of like a less glamorous, teen-angsty version of what's popular now. Platform rainbow foam-soaled sneakers with the matching bracelets up the arms, undies showing out from underneath way-too-wide-legged dragging jeans, and shall I utter the word UFOs?
I have had a lot of websites and blogs asking who my stockists are; little do they know I have none. I work out of my room doing one-offs. I think there is something unnatural about producing more than one or the sort of things I make, and I doubt if a shop would ever order more than one, just out of the risk they'd be taking to invest in a dozen bodices embroidered and padded to look like wood. I'm just going to keep making and showing for now.
Can you ever see yourself having your own label?
Who doesn't want to have their own label and company? Of course I do. After working at a few random places and having to comply with their rules and regulations nothing seems to be more appealing than being my own boss and treating the people who work for me properly!
I used to want to be a Galliano or a JC, but fame to me seems like such a hassle. My dream is really simple now, though equally as idealistic: I just want my own shop. Get a loan and buy a building somewhere remotely desirable. Top floor for living, second floor for working, first floor for a boutique.
Who are your favourite designers and why?
I have no favourite designers. I just respect anyone who worked hard to get what they wanted.
Who do you imagine wearing your clothes?
Someone who gets it, someone who gets me.
Can we buy any of your clothes?
If you want something made, I'm happy to collaborate. If you want to view what I have, I'm happy to set it up all pretty for you to come and go through it. Email me at gabriellamarinagonzalez@googlemail.com.
Are you involved in any outside projects in other fields?
About a thousand. I just finished interning at Jean-Pierra Braganza, he is so talented. I've been doing a lot of collaborating with my friend Paul Pierrot who does Magic Poison with visually stimulating performances. I've got a part-time job at See Two See, a boutique off Seven Dials, and I've done half a dozen extra cash gigs in music videos which I forget.