Daniella Helayel 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 London-based 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, Mitsoukoshi in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district, Boutique 1 in the Middle East and online at Stylebop.
After being out of the fashion business for three-and-a-half years, what brought you back with Dhela?
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 standalone stores are in Tokyo.
Tell us about your creative process.
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.
Aside from the exclusivity of prints, what makes your brand stand out?
Most of my collections are printed in primary or bright colours, cut into flattering shapes. Nature has always been my main source of inspiration. In fact, I've decided to give 1% of my profits to save the Amazon forests because I’m Brazilian – and the Amazon is a wonder and link to the world. Also, I love jacquard knits and I do them very well. Right now, only 30% to 40% of every collection is knits, but I will move into 50-50 territory soon.
What are your short- and long-term strategies for developing the brand?
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 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.
Even if prints are a strong presence in fashion, many women still shy away from them. How should one wear them without looking overwhelmed?
When you do printed clothes, you can't go crazy with the style because the wearer will end up looking like an art installation. Printed clothes with so many seams look weird and futuristic. The cut has to be in a simple, precise line that's spot on with fit and maximises the beauty of the print. The sleek style of the '70s is where I look for inspiration.
