Kelly de Gaalon: Founder of Gaâla and Visionary of Feminine, Sustainable Luxury Fashion

Kelly de Gaalon is the founder and driving force behind Gaâla, the women’s luxury and sustainable fashion label grounded in family heritage, femininity, and timeless elegance.

Born in Switzerland to French and American parents and raised in the United States and China, Kelly has always lived an international life, later studying, living, and working across China, France, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Her years in Shanghai were her most formative: after study or work, she spent evenings and weekends wandering the city’s expansive textile markets, selecting fabrics and designing pieces for herself with the help of a tailor. The loud, often confusing markets paradoxically became the haven she returned to throughout her studies and work. What began as a personal creative pursuit soon became the foundation of her dream — to create beautiful, feminine, and high-quality clothing.

Kelly’s career unfolded across Asia and Europe, from roles in cosmetics and real estate in Singapore and Shanghai to a position at an international London Art Group, where she gained a deep understanding of the world of luxury and the value of thoughtfully and masterfully crafted pieces. Even as her career carried her deep into the fast-paced, exacting world of art, her love of fashion never dimmed. She sought clothing that balanced practicality and professionalism with a feminine, chic sensibility—yet finding high-quality pieces at accessible prices proved challenging. Between intercontinental flights from London to Shanghai, Kelly would always find the time to return to the markets, selecting fabrics that her tailor would turn into custom pieces. Finally, in 2020, while simultaneously working in the arts and managing the opening of an art museum, she took the leap and founded Gaâla.

The brand’s growth exceeded all expectations, resonating immediately with women globally and enabling Kelly to fully embrace her long-held dream: creating a fashion house defined by femininity, superior craftsmanship, and timeless elegance.

Kelly’s vision for Gaâla began with a passion and desire to make beautiful, wearable, and inherently feminine clothing, but it didn’t end there. Her years of experience sourcing her own materials gave her an intimate knowledge of their quality, their feel, and potential. The connections and friendships built over the years gave her access to luxury end-of-roll fabrics, innovative natural fibers, and materials of uncompromising quality.

Kelly, though creating and building quietly has become bolder in speaking out about what she sees as important to her and those who value the true meaning of elegant, feminine and sustainable fashion. You can read more of her thoughts and insights into fashion by following Gaala’s substack or social media.

"When I design a new collection, it always comes back to a simple question: does this sleeve, this fabric, this skirt, give space for a woman to be herself?"