My opinion on Gaâla Paris, a new Responsible Apparel Brand
When I was taking sewing classes in Vietnam, my classmates and I used to go shopping in huge rooms full of fabrics. There were so many of them that you had to enter with a mask and bare feet: so as not to breathe the dust created by tons of fabrics, and not to dirty the fabrics that littered the floor. Sometimes, tired in front of the embarrassment of the choice that was offered to us, we would choose a fabric by the piff and decide which garment to make afterwards. I have always been fascinated but also amazed by so much abundance, but also so much waste. This place was the place of the last chance for end of stock fabrics. If even we, the private individuals, don’t want them, they will end up in the garbage.
The end of stock fabrics are the 5, 10 … or even 100 meters of fabrics produced in excess, intended for fashion houses or fast-fashion. 100 meters is a lot for a private individual, but if it is a well-known brand, these 100 meters will only be enough to make a maximum of 100 items while a model must be available in thousands, in different sizes, because distributed in all the brand’s stores around the world. But the cost spent to make the design, to produce the pattern, to take pictures, to put it on the website… to transport the product… to finally sell just 100 items, isn’t worth it. It’s hard to amortize the fixed costs, so it’s better to waste those extra fabrics than to turn them into clothes.
But Gaâla, a new French clothing brand, has taken up this challenge: to recover the noble fabrics of end of stock, so-called “deadstock”: high quality silk from Hangzhou (China) left by Italian fashion houses, and “deadstock” linen from Belarus to create timeless models in very limited quantities.
Note: this post is still NOT sponsored
There is just enough fabric to make 3 items of the same model? No problem. They will still make them, take pictures of them and sell them on the site. It will be 6 meters of pure silk that won’t end up in the landfill and will bring joy to someone.
The co-founder of the brand isn’t a first-time user. She has already proposed her creations but only for her family and friends during her years in China, before saying to herself “what if I proposed it to the whole world”? Now, the brand is based in France, and the manufacturing is done with love in a small workshop in Belarus, in Minsk (does that sound familiar, Minsk? we spent 5 days there, remember?), in ethical and financially interesting conditions.
My experience
I discovered this brand by chance on Instagram and it seduced me from the very first second because their collection has nothing to do with the models with puffy sleeves trendy P/E 2020, or an exact copy of a(already very boring) Sézane. No, at Gaâla, we find timeless models, which highlight any type of morphology, produced in noble materials, which can be worn again and again for many years.
Personally, being small, I did not choose a midi dress or a long dress, I chose the Elle dress, reaching up to the knees. It is the color and the cut that flatter me the most. However, I don’t like the viscose and polyester lining (my skin can’t stand it), and I sent a little message on Instagram to the brand, just to complain because I was frustrated not to be able to buy it (why not lining this one in cotton? the other cotton/silk lined models don’t interest me). I receive a too nice answer, asking me to be patient a little bit, the person goes to check the fabric stock, then comes back to me, telling me that they can make me the same dress, but with a silk lining.
What?
Since when does a brand propose to modify its lining just at the whim of an average customer ? I would think I was at my Vietnamese designer ‘s (the only difference is that my Vietnamese designer would have agreed to make the modification, but with a lot of grumbling)
- as this model is limited to 70 copies, and that one makes it exceptionally with a silk lining, as much as it is made to measure. It is enough to give my measurements
- to push the cork even further, I even have the right to use the welcome code (received by email when I registered), giving me -10% on the 1st order
- for free delivery by Colissimo, of course
The CUSTOM dress , fully lined in silk… costs me 198€.
at this price, what can we buy? A tank top at Bonpoint, or a beach bag at Vanessa Bruno, or a skirt at Ba&sh.
My opinion
I tell you in advance: I’m so happy with my purchase!
I ordered on June 8 and the dress was sent to me on June 18. It’s very fast, considering the small size of their workshop. The packaging is very neat, we have a small card explaining the return and refund conditions, a drawing so realistic that JB asked me if I had just made a watercolor drawing. And finally, my pretty dress protected in tissue paper.
The dress already seduces me at first glance, but once worn, I’m in love! It is too comfortable, too beautiful, too pleasant and it suits me well.
My mother has always encouraged me to take classes or hang out with artisans, not to make things myself, but to better appreciate their work. So, I only have to look at the seams to know if it’s done well or not
My dress is made of chiffon, so fine that when cutting it, it is better to avoid breathing.
When sewing, be very careful with the thread tension, beware of fraying which can damage the whole dress in a few seconds. Seamstresses capable of working with silk are incredibly technical. It is one of the most difficult materials to work with. In Vietnam at least, we pay these seamstresses twice as much as a normal seamstress.
Then it must be doubled in size. The lining is also made of silk, so it is the same precaution as the main fabric. I have looked at the seams of many well-known and expensive brands, and often the lining is detached from the dress. Why is this? Because technically, it takes more time and requires more technicality. At Gaâla, the lining is sewn directly to the dress, allowing for better comfort. The lining should not be felt. One should not ask oneself all the time: Did my dress come up accidentally? Can we see my lining?
Other details are added: the belt is also made of pure silk, the buttons are covered with silk (same fabric as the belt). Even the sleeves are fully lined.
The labels are made with care
I have no criticism to make, because everything was PERFECT. The material, the communication with the brand, the cut, the delivery time? It’s perfection!
The price isn’t given, of course. But the value for money is incredible.
A dress of this type already costs, in Vietnam, 100€. Here we have French design, European manufacture, French taxes, limited stock, so it’s normal that it’s not the same price. Moreover, it’s not fast fashion. It’s a piece that we keep for several years and that will last over time. And we don’t risk wearing the same thing as everyone else because of the quantity produced.
Hurry to order at Gaâla. Some models are only available in 9 copies and after that there will not be enough fabric for you. I put below some models that I like very much in them, in linen or silk. You will also find more pictures on their Instagram account
