Everything You Need to Know About Kitten D’Amour’s Founder Alana Smith

With fans including Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, the Australian fashion brand, Kitten D'Amour, is one that needs to be on everyone's radars.

If you're into vintage style and looks that will transport you back in time, trust us when we say you're going to fall head over heels in love with Kitten D'Amour. We wanted to learn all about the brand and its mastermind, aka, founder and designer, Alana Smith, who was kind enough to answer all of our most burning questions in the interview, below!

Name: Alana Smith

IG Handle: @kittendamour

Hometown: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Zodiac sign: Star sign is Libra with Pisces rising

Fun Facts

1. Alana has always been inspired by fashion from the '30s to the '50s.

"I have always enjoyed Exploring and Discovering fashion from the 1930s to the 1950s. As a girl, I had very little interest in 'clothing design' apart from dressing my Barbie dolls! My distant grandmother was a fashion designer in 19th-century Paris and my great-great-grandfather was a 'staymaker'—in other words, he was a skilled artisan dressmaker. I find it fascinating how the skills of our ancestors can be passed down from one generation to the next!"

-Alana Smith

2. When she's in a rush, you can find her in Kitten D'Amour high-waisted jeans and a crisp, white top.

 

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3. Alana loves the outfits that Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn used to wear.

"My own style is 'classic' with a 'twist'. I'm not a big fan of dark colors! I'm inspired by old films from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. I am fascinated with the style and sophistication of everything of that era. Fit and flare style dresses and wiggle dresses. Classic styles with a twist—and lace—think designs worn by Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, etc."

-Alana Smith

4. Kitten D'Amour is sold online as well as in-store at shops in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

5. After working in the industry for years, Alana finally took the leap and started her own label.

"With no formal training, it was a real learning curve. I basically taught myself to create and grade patterns, cut fabric, sew and assemble garments and create clothing designs that I felt would be popular. I sold my designs to various clothing boutiques in Queensland and this gave me the confidence to open my own shop—and I have never looked back.
"

-Alana Smith

6. The Australian film, A Stitch In Time, was inspired by Kitten D'Amour, after the director visited one of the shop locations.

 

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7. Alana brings her pets into the office.

"I design in an office where I bring my Caique parrots to work. They often play on my desk and love to snatch my pencil from my hand, mid-sketch!"

-Alana Smith

8. Speaking of pets, she's a huge animal lover and donates to a number of animal charities.

9. The designs at Kitten D'Amour are always new and innovative.

"We introduce a new collection of designs every month, and this ensures that Kitten D'Amour is constantly reinventing itself. We never repeat any of our older designs. This keeps the brand fresh and exciting. With each new collection, we invest heavily in photoshoots that allow us to have lots of new content to inspire our guests to shop with us."

-Alana Smith

10. Alana's favorite style trend at the moment is 1920s fringing.

 

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11. She makes it a priority that her boutiques provide customers with the best shopping experience.

"We have our own unique Kitten D'Amour Fragrance which is dispensed through diffusers. We use the same signature fragrance when packing online orders and our guests absolutely love it. We have our own radio station (Kitten D'Amour Radio) that can be streamed anywhere around the world. We play our own unique style of music in-store and guests can then listen to the station at home or on their phones. We incorporate pinball machines, antique lamps, antique furniture and unique custom-made wallpaper that are unique to each individual shop."

-Alana Smith

12. Alana is absolutely loving the Lovey Dovey dress from Kitten D'Amour, which was made with Valentine's Day in mind.

 

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