Alumni
Footwear News Names Grad Camilla Gabrieli as One of 21 Designers Rewriting the Rules of Fashion and Footwear
Footwear News recently named Visual Communications grad and footwear designer Camilla Gabrieli as one of the 21 emerging designers rewriting the rules of fashion and footwear. The Italian designer was born on the island of Sardinia and attended the University of Bologna where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications. Camilla had an early obsession with shoes and used the dress scraps to make footwear for her uncooperative cat Mustafa. We caught up with the 2008 grad to learn more.
Tell us about your footwear brand: Camilla Gabrieli a new brand of hyper-feminine luxury shoes, defined by captivating jewel heels. Unique in its elegance and singular glamour, the stylish Italian label creates shoes to fall in love with, indisputably enchanting and impossible to ignore. An eternal treasure, designed to be cherished and made to last, each pair is handcrafted in Italy with ethically-sourced sustainable materials.
Why did you choose FIDM and what was that path like for you? LA has always been a source of inspiration and creativity, a place I wanted to be. While researching fashion schools I found FIDM and the LA campus felt like a perfect match. I didn't study design, I got there on my own. What I learnt at FIDM helped me to get started in fashion, even though I eventually realized I wanted to do something different than what my major had taught me. Still, the experience I gained from my first jobs gave me an invaluable advantage to better understand the industry and a much deeper knowledge.
What is your biggest goal right now? Grow my brand to a global fashion brand. It's a hard and challenging path, but an exciting one! Being the Founder, CEO, and Creative Director, I'm learning so much on the way, it's been an incredible journey.
Anything else you’d like to share? Believe in yourself.
Learn more at camillagabrieli.com and follow Camilla Gabrieli on Instagram @camillagabrieli. Read the Footwear News article here.
