About Gaâla

Founded by husband-and-wife duo Kelly de Gaalon and Alexander Zhalezka, Gaâla’s apparel combines French elegant design with the finest craftsmanship of skilled European artisans. Gaâla is a family-owned, slow fashion brand, committed to environmental sustainability.

From the Founder

When I was a girl, hand-me-downs were a way of life. I remember watching my mother sew clothes by hand and adjust existing pieces so they could be passed down to one of my eight siblings or me – the idea of taking something and making the piece my own interested me from a young age.

As an adult, I found it difficult to find high-quality clothing in classic silhouettes, at an accessible price. Having always had a passion for design, I began to sketch designs myself and eventually partnered with tailors, who gave life to my drawings and ideas. What started as a hobby quickly turned into making clothes for family and friends.

Founding Gaâla

With the confidence my designs gave me and encouragement from the positive responses I received, in 2019, my husband, Alexander, and I founded Gaâla with the support of a team of talented artisans.

Not wanting to add to the fashion industry's careless consumption model, Alexander and I began looking into the operations of clothing companies in detail. We discovered that in many cases, luxurious fabrics used by high-end fashion houses are produced in excess and end up in landfills or incinerated.

With this in mind, it became clear that Gaâla's ethos would be to design timeless pieces crafted using these luxurious upcycled textiles along with other high-quality and sustainable fabrics.

We hope you wear our designs with all the love and care that went into their making.

Kelly de Gaalon