ETHOS
ETHOS
My craft is not a job which I can clock off from. It is an extension of myself, an appendage which breathes & sleeps with me. I don't abide by the time constraints of designing in seasons. The creative process should not be dictated by deadlines that are only in place to supply a demand for consumer goods. I am one person, not a machine.
The website is designed to display past work as an archive of fashion artefact in atmospheric editorials rather than a cemetery of season passed. I will not take part in an industry that confirms the belief that the ideas we bring to life are rendered obsolete every couple of months to make way for new things to consume. Instead, I want my pieces to be reused & handed down.
My work is genderless & celebrates humans of all descriptions. I offer a personal approach to fashion by encouraging you to work with me to make a one of a kind, perfect fit. I sleep sound knowing that I individually hand make each piece for a specific person to the highest quality standard. They are designed & constructed to merge the worlds of the beautiful & functional so you can enjoy them for an indefinite length of time.
By actively boycotting ‘throw-away’ culture & focusing on made to order I hope to inspire change in the way we have been taught to desire things. There is no stock waiting to be distributed. Salvaged leather is used wherever possible. All off cuts & sample hardware are used to make smaller accessories.
I want people to make informed, conscious decision on what they purchase. To buy things because they need them, love them & will continue to wear them for a lifetime. Know yourself & use this strength to buy things uninhibited from the pressure of trend based fashion. This is how you regain control from a colossal machine: by ceasing to feed it. Free yourself from the production line of mass consumerism because your value is so much greater than what you own.
BIOGRAPHY
Gabriella Marina Gonzalez is a London based fashion designer specialising in handmade accessories & footwear. The Miami native graduated from Central St Martins Women’s Wear in 2009. Gonzalez’s early works consisted of armouresque leather & shredded handmade yarns that she knitted, knotted & crocheted to create intricately detailed jumpers & gowns. SHOWstudio described her graduate collection as: ‘Savage buckled harnesses, zippered leathers & hefty cobweb mohair that looked as if they had been knitted on a couple of broomsticks.’ Gonzalez was picked up by visionary store Machine-A shortly after & launched her career focusing on unconventional luxury leather goods. Gabriella’s designs are characterised by an inventive boldness, which invites closer inspection. She has a strong artistic interest in evoking atmosphere & emotion through her creations. This is often achieved by immersing the wearer in a narrative, conjuring a sense of character & experiences. For this reason, Gabriella’s work has become a desirable choice for costume & editorial, working with names like B.Akerlund, Karl Lagerfeld, Edward Enninful, Alister Mackie, Hedi Slimane, Craig McDean, & Nick Knight. Her work has appeared in publications such as AnOther Magazine, Hunger, Elle, Harper Bazar & L’Officiel. Finally her work has been displayed at the MoBA museum of modern art in Arnhem & the Victoria & Albert Museum.