The “IT girl” is dead. The ghoul girl killed her. People are exhausted by the idealistic and polished looks copied from fashion shows or the past, and transported into almost every fashion “DIVA's”Instagram account. Instead, people are now intrigued by messy, pale - and almost unwell - looks. These looks recreate a "dark feminine" vibe - one whose definition stands to be mysterious, witchy and seductive.

Today, our guest and representative of this ‘Dracula's girlfriend’ vibe is Ilona, a new fast-growing star in the fashion space, whose dresses have already found their audacity. She personifies goth aesthetics with her jet-black straight hair, pouting lips, pale skin and unhidden imperfections. Her most striking features are her hollow cheeks and brows bleached or plucked within an inch of their life. She has a bowed head and a dead-eyed Kubrick stare, both a siren’s call and a deadly warning.

GATA: Hello Ilona, can you please introduce yourself to the GATA audience?

Hi! My name is Ilona, I grew up in Los Angeles, but I currently live in Paris where I design and assemble my garments.

I’ve always been infatuated with the arts, especially photography, and as a teen I would develop my own film photos. I later studied psychology in a forest in Berlin, before deciding to make my own garments, which I had been wanting to do ever since I can remember.

GATA: When was Ilona, as a brand, born and who is behind it?

Ilona: I presented my debut collection in September of 2022. Back then, I was single-handedly carrying the entire brand; from designing to pattern-making, to sewing… A couple months ago my lovely intern, Elsie joined my team, as well as my press agent, Paul Bertin.

GATA: Your designs are highly feminine and elevated, classic but modern, dark but still candid, sexy but prude; what are the inspirations behind them?

Ilona: The collection was inspired by industrial sounds, psychology and the colour palette from director Romeo Castelluci's "Parsifal."

GATA: Who are the women you’re expecting to wear your dresses?

Ilona: The garments were designed to merge with the shape of a woman's body, and be a psychological protective armour for the wearer. The ILONA woman is unbridled, deranged and somewhat aggressive.

GATA: If your dresses could appear in a movie, no matter which one, what would it be?

Ilona: GIA (1998) or 101 Dalmatians (1996)

GATA: What does it mean for you to live in Paris when it comes to your creative input?

Ilona: Paris is undeniably both a seductive and alluring city; however lately I’ve been feeling as if I already got what I want out of it. I’ve been thinking of relocating to London, or back to L.A.

GATA: You launched “BRIDE” at the end of last year, and the inspiration is clear; what made you want to design your dresses inspired by a bride?

Ilona: “The bride” was the name of the final look, which was a wedding dress. It took weeks to make, day and night, with the help of haute couture technical books, and ten meters of hand pleated ivory french silk taffeta. I lost my mind making this dress, but it’s my favorite.

The idea to include a wedding dress in the collection was inspired by old haute couture shows, which would always conclude with a bride.

GATA: When can we expect a new collection?

Ilona: We are already working on new garments that I’m really excited about, although I still haven’t decided what format I will release them in; whether it’ll be a collection or individual pieces. But to answer your question, I will be showing something this year.