Meet Devi Kroell
4.14.2008 | by Megs
PB: If you could meet anyone, living or deceased, who would it be and why?
DEVI: Ooh, I think Diana Vreeland! She was such a big influence in the fashion industry and everything I have read about her, she seems to have this eccentric personality and doesn’t shy away from giving her opinion. She is just such a legend, I would love to know her.
PB: What would you be if you were not a fashion designer?
DEVI: A plastic surgeon. I would want to do cosmetic surgery. I always wanted to be a fashion designer since I was two-years-old. I used to draw these ladies with matching shoes, belts, bags, even umbrellas. I always knew I wanted to do something in the beauty and vanity industry. At some point I got it into my head that I wanted to be a surgeon because I liked all these yucky, bloody things. So I thought ‘Great, I’ll do plastic surgery because it is creating art on somebody’s face‘.
PB: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
DEVI: Right here, New York City. All the different cultures are in one city. It is a melting pot and I feel at home here because there are so many other cultures and you never get bored. I thought that this was where I was meant to be; it fits my background. You have a little this little that, you find everything here. If you want to eat something fantastic you go to that area. People think the pace of the city is worse than it actually is. In the end of the day it all looks super busy, but really, it is just a lot of communities on this big island.
PB: What is your favorite indulgence?
DEVI: Anything? Spas!! My favorite spa in NYC is the Mandarin Oriental, they have the most amazing treatments.
PB: How is the perfect night out spent?
DEVI: At home with my husband, little girl (a year old), and dog!
PB: So are you looking to make diaper bags?
DEVI: No! Everyone asks me that. My mother was a very chic woman and kept all of my clothes and diapers in an alligator bag, so you know, it is kind of in my blood to have no diaper bag.
PB: What kind of dog do you have?
DEVI: He is a mutt. We picked him up in Greece on our honeymoon in Santorini, he just kind of came to our side and followed us everywhere. He was a little stray dog, about three months old.
PB: Starbucks?
DEVI: I don’t drink coffee. I drink Espresso sometimes after lunch. You were going to ask me if I like a Venti Latte Chai whatever Skim Milk vanilla swirl?!! What language is that anyway… Venti…?
Vlad: That’s Starbuck-sian! So then what is your favorite drink, if you have one?
DEVI: Gin and tonic.
PB: Where is your favorite place to vacation?
DEVI: Bali. Once you have been there you just have to go back. I don’t know what it is, but there is some sort of a vibe, just something there that is out of this world that draws you back there. It is really magical there.
Many thanks to Devi for taking the time to talk to us. Hope all of our readers enjoyed the Devi Kroell Fall ‘08 preview. We are looking forward to covering Devi’s fine exotics in the future!
Click here for the official Devi Kroell site.
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.