Dea Kudibal

Dea Kudibal, the designer and creative director of Dea Kudibal, was born into a family of artists and bankers. This heritage gave her a natural flair for design and good business acumen. Following design studies in Copenhagen, Dea received a BA in Fashion Management from London College of Fashion.

The brand Dea Kudibal was founded in 2003 with a collection of exclusive scarves and shawls made from vintage fabrics. Spring 2008 saw the launch of the first Dea Kudibal clothing line with feminine prints, playful colors and flattering silhouettes as the brands DNA. As the brand developed, the stretch silk quality has become a signature for Dea Kudibal. For the new SS23 collection, dresses remain central to the collection with a great emphasis given to silhouette. Statement sleeves give a sense of drama whilst tasselled drawcords and tie belts pull the fabrics into a more sensuous shape. Details such as tiny pleats, ruffles and flounces at the neck or sleeve add an extra touch of interest whereas broderie anglais applied to soft denim or butterflies embroidered onto camouflage cotton create an unexpected twist on feminine codes. Vibrant shades of fuschia, milkshake pink and parakeet green add a welcome touch of positive energy when set against softer hues of sky and cosmos blue. Prints capture the folkloric innocence of woodcuts in simple two-colour graphics or evoke the spectacle of a meadow of wild flowers with multicoloured florals that radiate the joy of summer.

Why we Love...

Unique prints designed in Denmark each season Complete Ready-to-wear brand Feminine shapes, prints and playful colours Stretch silk that is machine washable Four exclusive collections a year Sizes - XXS - XXL 3x Mark Up

Milly Dress

My NS

Dea Kudibal' s Top Picks for SS23

My two favourite dresses are the My NS and the Milly dress. They are rather different from one another. The My NS dress is made out of cotton and is quite voluminous. It comes with a belt, which gives you the chance to accentuate your waist. On the other hand, the Milly dress is fitted, making it a little bit sexier. Unlike the My dress, this dress has a zipper on the side. In regards to blouses, I’d like to highlight the Marisole, which comes in both cotton and silk.

Interview with founder Dea Kudibal

In FLW22 you collaborated with an artist. Is this something you are interested in doing more often?

Yes. This is definitely something which we would like to continue doing in the future. Our flash collections are getting bigger and bigger, and therefore we believe that it would be beneficial to collaborate more with print designers, as we currently only work with our in-house print designer.

What is your biggest accomplishment?

Our biggest accomplishment is that we are true to our audience and pride ourselves in having the highest quality materials. In our collections, we invest a lot of time into designing new prints despite the significant rise in raw materials. We have always focused on the longevity of the brand so that is why we hope to keep the quality high and stay true to our DNA. I also think that it is a great accomplishment that we have had a growth in sales of 72% last year in 2021, and this could only be done by everybody working so well together. I think to be able to keep good culture within the company and to have that solid growth is something I am really proud of. We are becoming a complete ready-towear brand. You can start to see that now, as we have included outerwear and knit into our 2022 collections, and other high-quality materials such as our viscose and cotton and of course we are still very strong on the silk. I also envision that we will become more of a international brand than we are today. We are working on a strategy to be able to grow more internationally, and we have started by getting several key accounts such as Kadewee in Germany. I think this will definitely grow our company, and make us more visible in the market.

What or who is your biggest inspiration in life?

My biggest inspiration is my mother, who unfortunately isn ’t here with us today. She was amazing at styling. I believe she was very ahead of her time. She was always putting together clothes which at the time, no one had ever dared to style together. For example, she loved to combine high-end luxury brands with pieces that she brought from a market in Marrakesh. My mum was always telling me I had a good eye, and I think I got that from her.

What career did you want as a child?

Since I was young I always wanted to be a fashion designer. It was not really a profession that was very known at the time so I really admire my parents for supporting me in my dreams. It has always been my dream to start my own business and to be an entrepreneur.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I would say I am a total social butterfly. In my spare time, I like to arrange dinners and events and spend time with my friends and family. However, I also like my own company. A year ago, I also started to get very much involved in supporting women entrepreneurs, so I use a lot of my spare time to mentor or coach young women who want to start their own businesses.