Kambriel


Kambriel is an American fashion designer, winner of Gothic Beauty's 2005 Fashion Designer of the Year award.
Her designs were initially released in 1994 under the label "Atrocities", which was changed to the eponymous name in 2001. Kambriel's designs are largely qualified as gothic with an elegant focus and historic feel. Among them are creations inspired by the silhouettes of the Victorian era and the flickering images of the silent screen. Her designs include both men's and women's fashions, along with a series of coordinating accessories. These handmade designs focus heavily on the high-quality fabrics and notions of which they are constructed, with great attention paid to craftsmanship and detail.

Influences

Kambriel

Kambriel designs on stage

Kambriel's custom designs have been seen on a variety of stages. Musicians including Monica Richards and William Faith of Faith and the Muse, The Machine in the Garden, Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls, Mirabilis, Mors Syphilitica, Kara of Reliquary, Mephisto Walz, authors Neil Gaiman and Caitlín R. Kiernan, and the comedian Margaret Cho, have all donned her designs. Kambriel's creations have also appeared on the theatrical stage, notably for the internationally touring "The Temperamental Wobble", an Edward Gorey-inspired production by the Snappy Dance Theater of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her designs also appear on the silver screen in films such as "The Corridor", inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft, in which her costumes are again worn by Monica Richards of Faith and the Muse.

Kambriel designs in print

Kambriel's works have also been featured internationally in print. In magazines, including America's Gothic Beauty, Dark Realms, Newgrave, Malevola, Tear, The Mercyground, Sentimentalist Magazine, Tattoo Savage, and Sheltered Life, Italy's Ascension Magazine, England's Crimson, Germany's Gothic Magazine and Canada's Comatose Rose and Amongst the Ruins. She has also been featured in the books Hex Files: The Goth Bible and 21st Century Goth both by British author and music journalist Mick Mercer.

Kambriel designs live

Since 1995, Kambriel's works have also been showcased at live events across the United States, including a variety of theatrical fashion show vignettes at the annual gothic festival Convergence. These included her tribute collection for The Pale Court, which incorporated previously unfinished pieces of fellow designer Laura Purdy who died in 2005 due to Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In 2007, Kambriel's work was shown at an elegant Halloween-themed benefit for the Animal Rescue League in Boston, Massachusetts at their first ever "Moonlight Ball", featuring the imagery of Edward Gorey. Kambriel also spearheaded the independent group fashion show The Phoenix Parade in 2007 in Portland, Oregon.
Author Neil Gaiman wore a custom made Kambriel jacket and waistcoat on the Oscars red carpet for the 2010 Academy Awards.

Kambriel at the Museum at FIT

Kambriel's designs were included at the exhibition "", hosted by The Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Her work and an interview are also included in the coordinating book, , by the museum's curator, Dr. Valerie Steele. This exhibit will also feature other designers' works inspired by the aesthetic of the gothic scene, including those of Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, John Galliano for Galliano, Olivier Theyskens, Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Shaun Leane, Simon Costin, Simon Thorogood, Shelley Fox, Thierry Mugler, Hussein Chalayan, Valentino, Yves St. Laurent, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, Rodarte, Gattinoni Couture, Boudicca, and Ann Demeulemeester.