A DAY FOR DHELA
One of Kate Middleton’s favorite designers, London-based Brazilian style guru Daniella Helayel has launched a new clothing brand after a three-year hiatus
Daniella Helayel (left) made her fashion mark with her brand Issa — you may remember Kate Middleton famously wearing the founder and designer’s teal-blue silk knit dress to announce her royal engagement — before selling her stake. In 2016, the Londonbased Brazilian designer launched another brand, Dhela. With its flagship boutique in Tokyo’s Roponggi Hills, a selection of Dhela items are also carried at Harvey Nichols, Mitsukoshi in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza district, Boutique 1 in the Middle East and online at Stylebop
My Japanese distributors for Issa came to me and encouraged me to get into business again, because they couldn’t find the long and short dresses in easy shapes, which I used to do for Issa. There had to be a gap in the market — or else they wouldn’t have come to me. This is also why my first distributors and stand-alone stores are in Tokyo.
It’s quite complicated in that I do everything myself. Prints are one of my strengths, so I design and develop them myself in China. Contrary to what many people think, there are Chinese factories that do small quantities better and more efficiently than Italy. If I just bought stock prints, my brand would have no exclusivity.
I never liked pre-fall, but I have to sell it, so I’ve included it as part of three small, themed deliveries for autumn/winter. Spring/summer will be very small. I’ll do resort because I’m good at it — in fact, I can live on resort and holiday. It’s too much to do four collections a year, but I also want to go back to having a £25-million ($34-million) company, which is what Issa was.
My plan is to have a lifestyle brand that doesn’t just involve clothes, but also flip-flops, socks, umbrellas, Wellies, housewares, swimsuits and so on. There will also be printed Hawaiian-style shirts, ties and swim trunks for men, which will be sold separately. I could also do a small girls’ collection, which I did successfully in London and the Middle East, for gifting.