Devi Kroell is the face behind DAX GABLER, a luxurious collection of textural and sculptural handbags.
The Austrian-born, New York-based designer is both glamorous and elegant, speaking with just the slightest hint of an accent. As it turns out, she's the daughter of a diplomat and spent her childhood in several countries, including Indonesia, Israel, Switzerland, and France.
Her experiences abroad later influenced her designs, and was one of the key reasons why she chose to feature so much of her signature "exotic" throughout the collection.
In 2006 Devi won the CFDA Swarovski Perry Ellis Award for Accessory Design, which she describes as the ultimate award–the "Oscar" of fashion. Since then, her designs have been featured in Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Dansk, and Flare (to name just a few!)
In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, Kroell stated that her DAX GABLER Summer 2012 collection is "a mix of texture and sculptural elements that is both multifunctional yet dressy."
For all aspiring designers, she offers this piece of advice: "You have to bring something new, a concept, an idea...it has to be something that isn't around yet. You want people to say 'Wow! I haven't seen that before!' From there on, it's very easy to grow but you need a novel idea to start."
While the DAX GABLER collection remains only handbags at the moment, Devi says "she loves new challenges" and would love to eventually expand her lifestyle brand.
In the meantime, she's keeping plenty busy.
Hello! I'm Devi Kroell.
I'm the founder and designer of DAX GABLER, a new line of exclusive and tightly-edited pieces I think are must haves.
Early morning.
My day starts with a security check in front of the Stock Exchange—this is right next to where I live. My four-legged friends love to hop into the trunk of my convertible Mini Cooper (this car is a total conversation starter! Go figure!)
Next stop?
My morning cup of coffee from Joe's in the West Village.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider