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There is one thing every girl wants when it comes to her wardrobe.
She wants to open up the doors of her fabulous closet and feel an utterly unbridled sense of elation. There is nothing like running your fingers over frilly frocks, perfect tops and oodles of accessories to make your heart skip a beat. Yet so many of us girls frown as we dig through piles of pieces that are anything but stunning.

Austrian Fashion Designer Emil Gampe Wins TV Reality Competition

Austrian fashion designer Emil Gampe, creator of the exclusive collection, “EMILcouture,” is the winning design expert of the inaugural season of Bravo’s reality competition series on the American TV show, “Launch My Line,” on February 3, 2010.

Successful in nine episodes of the series, Gampe was seen by millions of TV viewers.  “Launch My Line” invites accomplished professionals who like fashion to be paired with established fashion designers for a series of nine rounds. Each duo team creates one look for every episode, which is paraded before a studio audience. The rewards include the launch of the winning fashion line, prize money, and the opportunity to advertise in a well-known American fashion magazine.In the final round, the jury compared Gampe with Valentino and selected him, along with his partner Kathy Rose, to be the winners.

Born in Linz, Emil Gampe began sewing his first piece of clothing at the age of five. At that time, both of his grandmothers were skilled dress makers who served as mentors. As a young boy, he created numerous designs ranging from street clothing to evening wear and dance costumes for competitions.  After finishing his education as a textile engineer and having worked in the Austrian textile industry, he moved from Austria to London, securing a position as manager at one of the world’s leading couture houses. In addition, he attended the highly-recognized school of Saint Martin’s College of Fashion in London. 

Gampe later left for America where he fulfilled his dream of developing his own fashion line, “EMILcouture,” while working as a consultant for up-scale couture enterprises in New York and Los Angeles as well as for a number of high-profile clients, including Stevie Wonder’s wife, famed designer Kai Milla. His line is currently being offered at RoseArk in Los Angeles and Kleinfelds in New York, which carries the largest selection of wedding dresses, designer exclusives and evening wear in America.

EmilCouture: left: "Escape", right: "Black Sunset". Emil Gampe
In an interview with Austrian Information, Emil Gampe highlights moments of the show and discusses his background and experiences regarding the fashion industry in Austria and the U.S.: 

How did you come to be on Bravo’s TV fashion reality show?

I submitted the usual application and was, at the end of a hard selection process, one of the experts
chosen from hundreds of applicants. Unlike “Project Runway,”  “Launch My Line” chooses experts who have worked for several years in the fashion industry and have proof of their experience. There were various phases to the selection process, including several video interviews, a sewing test and questionnaires until I was called. After that, everything happened very quickly. 

As to pursuing your career, how did you come to the U.S.?

Initially, I studied textile engineering in Vienna and worked several years in the field of textiles, building a career in the textile industry. I then moved to London for some years, working as the head designer for a major couture house which was primarily involved with dresses for dance, theater stage and film, while additionally studying at St. Martin’s College of Fashion. From there I went to New York for a few years consulting in high end fashion and have currently been in Los Angeles for one-and-one-half years.

My work is primarily concerned with consulting for other fashion lines in the high-end fashion market and the development of my own line EMILcouture.   In the U.S. I have consulted for several recognized names, one of which is the wife of Steve Wonder, Kai Milla, for whom I designed several well received collections, and Jacqulyne Love, wife of Mike Love of the Beach Boys. That was an interesting experience, from which I learned a lot about the U.S. market.

For EMILcouture I have developed an avant garde collection, an evening wear collection and a good clientele for one-off-creations.  As per the TV show success it all began with an advertisement I ran across. I felt that  my participation would increase the recognition of my own brand and wanted to see how far I would come. The producers wanted many different types of contestants; I was lucky to supply a profile and skills that interested them. I went through all steps of the casting, then the actual competition and won at the end. It was a great experience, very different to anything else I have done in the past. 

You worked together with the jewelry designer Kathy Rose. How are the teams paired up?

The pairs were grouped by the producers; none of the participants knew in advance who their partner would be. I initially got to know Kathy through the show and really lucked out. She is a wonderful person. We became friends, and I am now frequently in contact with her, as well as with the other participants in the show.

In comparison to Europe and in view of the interest in fashion, how does the market differ, and what is the attraction of the fashion market in California compared to that of Europe?

The attraction for me lies in the fact that the U.S. market is so big and has so many layers to it. The country simply fits the size of my dreams! As for my particular field, the high-end designer and couture market, there are endless opportunities for specialized designs. I have learned that if you are really good at something and work hard you can be very successful here. In Los Angeles, I plan to focus on EMILcouture for the ‘red carpet’ while I am also considering to launch a ‘ready to wear line’ in New York to cater to a broader market. 
In terms of Austria, there is little I can say because I left my home country when I began designing fashion fulltime. In the near future I am also planning to look into opportunities for distribution there. I would love to see EMILcouture at the Vienna Opera Ball next year!   For those interested in more information, see

Iris Strubegger

Profile:
Nationality: Austrian
Hair Color: Dark brown
Eye Color: Blue
Date of Birth: July 21
Place of Birth: Salzburg , Austria
Height: 5′11″ ; 180cm
Measurements: (US) 33.5-25-35.5 ; (EU) 85-64-90
Dress Size: (US) 6 ; (EU) 36
Shoe Size: (US) 8 ; (EU) 40
Model Agencies:
New York:Supreme Management
London:Models 1
Milan:Women Milan
Paris:Women Paris
Photos:Slideshow

Info:
Jul 21, 1984 Born in Saltsburg, Austria
2001 Moves to New York for a three-month exchange student program
2002 Signs with Elite
Sep 2002 Walks the spring Calvin Klein show in New York
2002 Becomes the face of Armani Collezioni
Jan 2003 Hintmag.com features Strubegger as a rising star
2003 Appears in editorials for The Face and i-D
2003 Quits modeling
2007 Changes her mind and signs with Supreme Management
2007 Russell Marsh, casting director of Prada and Miu Miu, features Strubegger in the fall issue of Pop
Oct 2007 Returns to the runway, opening the spring Dries Van Noten show in Paris
Dec 2007 Opens the pre-fall Valentino show in New York
2008 Photographer Steven Meisel takes notice of Strubegger, and requests her
Feb 2008 Walks the fall Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez, 6267, and Dolce & Gabbana shows in New York and Milan
Mar 2008 Closes the fall Wunderkind and Veronique Branquinho shows in Paris, also walks for Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Lanvin, and Louis Vuitton
2008 Style.com features Strubegger as a top ten newcomer
Mar 18, 2008 Strubegger claims she would like to meet Ellen Pompeo and Karl Lagerfeld during an interview by The Ones2Watch.com
Apr 2008 Featured on the cover of Italian Amica, photographed by Stefano Moro
May 2008 Appears in V editorial, photographed by Mario Testino
Aug 2008 Appears in Interview editorial, photographed by Anthony Maule
Aug 2008 Featured on the cover of Italian Vogue alongside Linda Evangelista and Karen Elson, photographed by Steven Meisel
2008 Mario Testino photographs Strubegger for D&G
2008 Craig McDean photographs Strubegger for Pollini
Sep 2008 Appears in editorials for Italian Vogue and British Vogue
2008 Solve Sundsbo photographs Strubegger for Pop’s fall issue
Sep 2008 Opens the spring Cynthia Rowley and Kai Kühne shows in New York
Sep 2008 Closes the spring Cynthia Rowley show in New York
Oct 2008 Walks the spring Alexander McQueen, Dries van Noten, Givenchy, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, and Yves Saint Laurent shows in Paris
Oct 2008 Appears in Italian Vogue editorial, photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott
2008 Sebastian Kim photographs Strubegger for the cover of Tush
Nov 2008 Appears in V editorial, with Anna Jagodzinska and Daul Kim, photographed by Steven Meisel
Dec 2008 Appears in French Vogue editorial, photographed by David Sims
Jan 2009 Appears in British Vogue editorial, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier
Jan 2009 Walks the spring Givenchy couture show in Paris
2009 Becomes one of the faces of Balenciaga, photographed by David Sims
2009 Models of Pepe Jeans ad campaign, photographed by Steven Meisel
Friends with: Ania Trublaska, Carolina Pantoliano, Colette Pechekhonova, Danijela Dimitrovska, Katrin Thormann, Vika Kuropyatnikova

Arthur Daniyarov – “How To Brighten Up Your Wardrobe”Feb

In a recent editorial entitled “How To Brighten Up Your Wardrobe” by photographer Sølve Sundsbø for V MAN, Russian male model Arthur Daniyarov of DNA, who was recently in a campaign for Jill Sander, is imaged with the perfect amount of light donning the season’s hottest monochromatic designs. Styled by Jay Massacret, Arthur showcases designs by Burberry Prorsum, Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Z Zegna, and Lanvin. I like this editorial due to the fact that the lighting creates a neon glow making the ensembles jump out of the images.

Simon Nessman for Antony Morato Spring/Summer 2010 CampaignJan

Joined by his shadow for this campaign, 19-year-old Canadian top model Simon Nessman of Major Model Management is featured in his third campaign of the season for the Italian fashion house Antony Morato. The campaign, photographed by Joseph Cardo, represents the modern identity found in the smallest traces of our essence with Simon in some action poses.

Jacob Coupe for Prada Spring 2010 CampaignJan

For a surprising twist this season, Prada hired Chinese artist Yang Fudong to photograph their spring 2010 campaign and video a short film, which is available to view now on their website.
English newcomer Jacob Coupe of Models 1 and male model Adrien Sahores of Ford Eupore, who recently worked with Lanvin, are featured in the black and white campaign and short film in Prada’s spring collection of suits with mesh utilizing the reality of the streets.

Tom Ford Spring 2010 Eyewear Campaign

Tom Ford definitely plays favorites giving his previous campaign model Jon Kortajarena of Wilhemina, who has recently worked with Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel, a role in his movie A Single Man. Now for Tom Ford’s spring 2010 eyewear campaign, he has hired 20-year-old actor Nicholas Hoult, who was also casted for a role in A Single Man, to front this campaign along with 34-year-old model Carolyn Murphy of IMG, who has recently appeared in Vogue and V magazine. The campaign is luxurious yet provocative showcasing Carolyn completely nude and Nicholas sporting a bowtie.