about kimbralou

Unconventional, eco conscious fashionistas, let kimbralou be your MUSE.

Introducing kimbralou, an innovative new fashion brand that not only strives to look sensational, with excess in razzamatazz, but be ethically conscious too.

The designs utilise existing garments personally salvaged from both current fashion and pieces spanning back through the decades to the Great Depression period.

The main aim is to reduce end-of-life textile waste, while still retaining the quality and style ‘owned’ and collected by many ‘owners’.

Every salvaged and customised look is a one of a kind piece that kimbralou proudly showcases on many digital platforms and in real life at regular popup events plus has showcased at over 30 runways.

Since an ‘accidental’ start, late 2017, kimbralou has attributed the entities seemingly rapid brand building success to a strong resolute shift away from gender assigned styles and the single use trends of fast fashion.

On inception, kimbralou was appointed the mindset of a ‘STAY WOKE’ eye; always looking towards the future.

The value outcomes from this vision has received positive validations from never imagined entities such as VOGUE.

VOGUE announced kimbralou as the AAFW winner of the ‘Inclusive by Design Program’ in ‘22 after an intense judging process, by an esteemed panel of judges from the Australian fashion world. From here, kimbralou showcased at the AAFW’22 Fashion Futures Runway amongst iconic brands such as Oroton, PE Nation, Cue …

As an accidental designer who has a current career as a RN, the above mentioned event was made all the more historical for kimbralou when the Runways Creative Director placed the brand in the position of what they called “the central entertainment moment”.

This fabulous opportunity, to a self taught Fashion Designer, at the helm of kimbralou, was followed up by an invitation in May ‘23 to have kimbralou showcase amongst ten iconic Australian Designers. This eventuated in a kimbralou custom design, reconstructed from Thread Together dead stock suiting, being unveiled at a Re Couture Gala Dinner event and eventually showcasing at the AAFW finale Runway, We Wear Australia.

kimbralou is, also, highly validated by the sheer volume of ‘owners’ buying into and relishing the timeless luxury in their wardrobes of a one of a kind piece.

If you are new to the kimbralou space the website contains images, Runway videos, Blogs and published articles for you to dive down deep into.

Hoping you come away perceiving the kimbralou vibe as a celebration of individual identity and that you notice the intentional economically conscious pricing of the released pieces with the service of free express postage.

The main kimbralou business value is ensuring you feel that kimbralou is an attainable experience for yourself now and possibly into the future.

Many ‘owners’, ‘owning it’, in a kimbralou statement piece are consistently reassured that ‘owning’ themselves produces the magic that turns heads, demands attention and allows oneself to be ‘heard’ like never before.

Kimbralou's ethical mission is to create a more sustainable future. The kimbralou owners’ know they are with the brand doing their part to not cost the Earth.

It is another value of kimbralou feeling the satisfaction knowing one is making smart, responsible decisions for generations to come.

The kimbralou brand has literally been in VOGUE and everyone ‘owning it’ in kimbralou will always be in vogue. #staywoke
 
 

 
STAY WOKE

The core of the salvaged and customised process of kimbralou is to take every exclusive design beyond your imagination. When you emotionally engage with the physical product it becomes truely priceless.

The collectors of kimbralou have given me the confidence to say that the benefit of ‘owning‘ kimbralou is that you get consistent compliments from everyone. I’m a strong advocate for ‘owning’ yourself by being comfortable in your skin and not letting anyone take you out of that by editing the ‘extra’ version of yourself down. It is you owning yourself that creates the magic of the overall look.

I personally see and hear from so many of you, who are delighted to own a salvaged and customised piece that it motivates me to continue to create. I call you the ‘Stay Woke Generation’, being so mindful of your unique ‘it’ factor, despite age, pronoun or others opinions. 

Owning a kimbralou piece is the biggest key to help me bring many virgin pieces and textiles back into the fashion lifecycle. 

I am pleased to be with so many in this ‘fashionable’ space, where collectively I feel we all consider the burning question, “Does it cost the earth?” 

SPEAKING MY TRUTH IN KIMBRALOU 

Things shift in a profound way… a truth of Kimbra via kimbralou powers everything. It is important for me to tell you about it. 

I lived my childhood within domestic violence and was kept silent. I attribute the stress as the catalyst for the Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis I developed and wrecked my body with no disease modifying drugs available during that time. Today I am disabled and cannot walk without my custom black boots while I live with chronic pain. I realise none of this would be that obvious to you. 

There is one significant story, of many, I need to tell you to put kimbralou into context and the reason I say ‘own yourself’, even in adversity. 

My Mother was a high school sewing teacher and was well known for her fabulous handmade fashion looks. It’s emotionally hard for me to recall but Mother had select ‘surrogate daughters’, as she called them. They would be given special invitations to come to the house for extra sewing tuition outside their class lessons with her while I was firmly told to stay away.

Compounding this, I was failed in Grade 8 sewing by her Home Ec. colleague. As one of the greatest ironies of my long life I have customised all the 29 runway looks and pieces I’ve sold on the old sewing machines once owned by Mother and my grade 8 sewing teacher.

There is a rebellious energy that is transcribed into the brand kimbralou from these experiences. I feel very proud that I’ve always owned myself in the face of adversity with unwavering execution of my many strengths.  

THE ACCIDENTAL DESIGNER

If you want to find out how a 50 year old RN became a ‘Fashion Designer’ late 2017, then here is the story….

Simply, the customised pieces I had randomly started to design, mid 2017, were scouted by RAW Australia and given a Runway showcase. RAW is an international entity that hosts showcases every two months, simultaneously around the world, to facilitate the emergence of creatives. 

I actually consider myself as a social purpose ‘native’ who has done it from the start given my 20 year history of selling salvaged fashion, as a side hustle, to my Nursing career. 

My purpose is to have kimbralou be seen as a viable prong of a paradigm shift in the ongoing searches for something better in fashion that doesn’t cost the earth.



A CULTURE OF PURPOSE

kimbralou's rapid emergence in 2018 intuitively aligned with the rising interest towards gender neutral fashion. The first and second generation kimbralou models, that were scouted from the street, are a significant example of the clear knowing that individuals were using clothing to model deeper values and beliefs.

These exclusively selected models became the face of kimbralou and could project ownership of oneself in the loud kimbralou customised pieces.

  

 Collectively, the kimbralou designs, models and exclusive photographer stepped in real time to the notion of genderless fashion as it overflowed the fashion industry.Many runway events accepted the official kimbralou models to showcase their unrehearsed walk that generated an overwhelming power surge within the audience. It validated the collective ability of kimbralou to inspire an emotional response from showcasing the fearless ability to step outside a traditional mindset.

There were some runway events, however, that revealed a perceived hesitancy to allow the kimbralou models to join the stereotypical. The ideology underpinning the transgender, non binary and the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community, in these instances, were largely rejected and excluded.

kimbralou and it’s special entities, together with the emerging ‘stay woke generation’, will continue to go above the established order to build a stronger sense of belonging.