KALISSI

Words by Kimberly Haddad

BASIC: Tell us about the meaning behind this collection and what inspired you to bring it to life?

KALISSI: The collection’s name “ROIAL” comes from the archaic spelling of the word “royal”. It pays homage to the Austrian opulent imperial times, kaiserlich and königlich. I am a very nostalgic person with a vast imagination. I like to spend hours walking through old palaces, castles and museums, fantasizing about what life must have been like back then. Being based in Vienna and surrounded by so much history, I was able to take the playfulness of old opulent, rich details and mix them with new contemporary shapes and bright and youthful colors. The collection, so to speak, is a mixture of humor mixed with an air of aristocratic history.

BASIC: When an artist develops an idea in their head, they typically have a very particular image that goes along with it. Did this line stay close to what you had originally envisioned or did it expand into something completely different?

KALISSI: This is a very interesting topic as to me itʼs crucially important to give your imagination as much room as possible, but to also let yourself be inspired by design accidents, as I like to call them. Of course I have a very particular image in my head of how I want the collection to look, but I trust that when I eventually start designing that my creativity and its natural flow around it will lead to the perfect direction.

BASIC: If there was a soundtrack to your collection, what three songs would we hear?

KALISSI: The two main soundtracks of the debut AW19 catwalk show would definitely be “Vesna” by DakhaBrakha and “Шо з-под дуба” by DakhaBrakha. The third one would be “Der König und der Vogel” by Rampue.

BASIC: What is one of your most defining moments in life and how has it influenced your career?

KALISSI: In the first year of starting my business I had totally pushed my limits. I spent a minimum of three nights a week until early mornings and the entire weekend dedicated to my screen. I didn’t even leave the house. Being a one woman show and handling both sides—business and creativity—was the biggest challenge of my life so far. After the stress of a very successful first year I had found myself in a place where I could not design anything for a few months. I felt like I had run out of ink and the business stress had killed all of my creativity. Eventually, I gained my energy back and ever since that experience it feels like something clicked. I have a different approach to my work. I stopped working on weekends and at night and accepted that there will never be enough time to finish all of my to-do lists and that is totally fine too.

BASIC: What kinds of emotions or reactions do you hope people will have when wearing your collection?

KALISSI: The most important emotions that I want to establish are fun and happiness. I want to give women an opportunity to look feminine and playful at the same time. I want to encourage them to be bold and more daring when it comes to their choice of wardrobe, to experiment more and simply have fun wearing my clothes.

BASIC: If you could hide a secret message inside one of your pieces, what would it be and why?

KALISSI: Love yourself. I think we can all benefit from empathy, from being kind to one another and trying to live with less ego. We should focus more on love rather than competition. Love yourself because this is where your true magic and power lies.