KALAURIE KARL-CROOKS

Handcrafted in Melbourne, Australia, Kalaurie presents a series of small capsule collections drawing inspiration from life, death, human emotion and personal experiences. Kalaurie is from a feminine perspective, creating a body of work that is intimate and emotive - clothing that tells a story. With quality, timelessness, craftsmanship and environmental consciousness holding equal priority, Kalaurie pieces are designed and crafted to be treasured for a lifetime. The Kalaurie woman is emotional, focused, demure and nostalgic of times bygone.

My name is Kalaurie Karl-Crooks and I'm the one gal operation behind Melbourne based ethical womenswear label, Kalaurie. The brand is self-titled, as it is my medium for personal expression. Conceptually, my collections explore emotion, and personal experiences. I’m fascinated by history and nostalgia for bygone times, and often make wearables that draw upon my time studying costume design.

What is one of your proudest moments in SHAPING KALAURIE? 

Building a brand from nothing independently has always been something I've reflected on with pride, but I think my proudest moment is when Clare Press, Vogue Australia's Sustainability Editor at Large opened the Adelaide Slow Fashion Festival wearing one of my pieces. She's amazing!

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW?

At the moment I'm really excited about sourcing deadstock trims. Since the beginning (even when I was university ) I was always been passionate about using deadstock fabrics in my collections. Trims have proven harder find, but I'm slowly building up my sources. I recently just launched my signature shirting range, made entirely from deadstock fabrications and trims. I've been working on this range since the beginning, adding pieces to it from every collection. I'm very excited it's out in the world.

WHAT DESIGNS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

The next conceptual collection is in the works for this year. I design trans-seasonally so I'm not following a classical schedule and tend to just do what feels right, when it feels right. My work is very slow in the literal sense of slow fashion so I'm not entirely sure when I will release it.

What advice do you have for emerging designers? 

Learn always and find inspiration outside of the internet!

Photography by Melbourne-based photographer Vlad Savin.

Visit and shop Kaluarie online.