
London-based designer Daniella Helayel, the woman behind the burgeoning label Issa, has Kate Middleton to thank for a recent boost in business. After Prince William's fiancee donned a royal blue jersey dress by the designer at the announcement of her engagement, the fashion world drew its eyes to the label - leading to massive increases in international business, plus plans to expand dramatically next year.
Brazilian-born Helayel started her label in 2001 without making many waves on the design scene, but recently, she's developed a larger celebrity following, with fans including Madonna, Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley. As for the future royal, Helayel told WWD, "Kate found us through friends." After Middleton wore the now-famous blue Issa dress, she adds that "in Japan, in particular, the shops went mad immediately, and around the world, everyone who had the dress sold out." British chains like Tesco and Peacocks also made their own lower-priced versions.
For 2011, Helayel has plans to relaunch her company in the US, add e-commerce to her website, open the first of sex new stand-alone shops in Brazil, create a children's range called Baby Issa, and move her 200-shop business into a global sensation. She won't disclose whether she's designing Middleton's wedding dress, despite rumours that she's at the front of the list.
For Helayel, designing is stil about one thing: making women feel great. She says: 'I love making clothes to hide defects and enhance the positive qualities...For me, it always goes back to making a woman feel less fat and more secure about herself.