Meet Devi Kroell
4.14.2008 | by Megs
PB: To someone that does not know Devi Kroell, how would you describe your designs?
DEVI: Strong colors, luxurious, for a woman who is very sure of herself, very minimal hardware, always very streamlined.
PB: Who do you like to see wearing your designs?
DEVI: Everyone really. What I am really proud of is that my designs are worn by teenagers and then 99 year old women. I am very happy about the breadth in my customer base. I am happy when I see anybody wear my bags!
PB: Do you focus on celebrity exposure? Do you really push towards certain celebrities or do you let it happen organically?
DEVI: Organically. But I want to see Angelina Jolie carrying my bags! I have not seen her carry my bags yet, but I would love to see her carry my bags.
PB: What has been your most memorable moment as a designer?
DEVI: When I won the CFDA award in 2006. To stand up and see all the big, established designers look at me was very humbling.
PB: How did winning the CFDA award affect your career?
DEVI: I don’t think it did at all, maybe a little bit. But I think it is more of an inside thing, like if you are not in fashion you did not know it happened. It is more of an insider recognition.
PB: What is the next goal that you are striving to achieve?
DEVI: I would like to open a lot of stores. I have one open now in East Hampton. I really just opened that for the summer and I just wanted to see how it would do. It did so well that the summer store became a year-round store.
PB: What advice would you give to someone trying to make his or her way into the fashion industry?
DEVI: It is important to create something that people have not seen before. If you are just going to do a copy of something already out there it is not going to work. It is really about surprising people and bringing something new.
Thanks for the interview! I love her bags!
I have loved her bags since the first time I saw Jessica Simpson with that gold python hobo. She was sitting at a dinner table and started unloading it to find her black American Express card! HAhahaha. They have grown in my mind since. I love them and I love this lady. What a business inspiration!
She is AMAZINGLY talented! Thank you for sharing this interview with us. BTW, I’m with Vlad, that orange croc hobo — droolworthy!
Thanks for the interview!
Such a good interview, and great pictures. Nice job!
Nice. I like Devi Kroell’s bags. I got her limited edition clutches that she did for Target and those were great. I put away my more expensive designer pieces. BTW-It’s Lang no e.
Hmm.. her Cartable bag in Ostrich kind of reminds me of YSL Besace Messenger bag.
Dear M - You probably know this already, but the term “besace” in French means mailbag or messenger bag, it is not a proper noun like “Birkin”. The term “cartable” which Devi would know because she speaks French, is a French school kid’s classic book bag and they always have this same form with a large flap that covers the entire body of the bag, squarish/rectangular shape and with two closures on the front. So, when YSL or Devi Kroell use these terms it is like when we say in English “frame bag”, or “clutch bag” or “messenger bag”!
Her bags are very cheaply made. I purchased a python hobo last year and it completely came apart within a month. I think I wore it about twice! When I took it back to her NYC office to complain, one of her rude assistants sent me away. AWFUL service and worse material. She’s not that great really. And her real name isn’t even Devi Kroell! What a fake.
Great piece, thank you so much for shedding some light into this mystery designer brand…
LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVE Devi Kroell, thank you for bringing this!!!
Just went to Devi’s East Hampton New York store. Lots of gorgeous bags and shoes! Then this pudgy little frump comes out of the back room to assist us(i was with a few friends), she was in the midst of biting her nails!!! Not just biting them, but making a meal out of them, totally gross. We took one look at her and walked right out…
Also, someone said that she’s not Austrian, but from some South American country. What’s the deal with that?
Great designs! Devi, I was told that’s not her real name too, is part Austrian, part Oriental. All her staff are horrible. They are mostly foreigners who have no clue how to deal with customers. I had a run in with some Turkish girl. Very rude. With staff like that you have to wonder if “Devi” beats them.