Kraken Counter Couture
Caterina Schmitt
fashion/crafts/arts & culture
Website
Founder bio
Caterina Schmitt is a self-professed short and eccentric Italian-British national, with a background in traditional Alta Moda design and manufacturing.
Upon completing her Fashion Design BA studies at the prestigious London College of Fashion at age of 24, she quickly realised that her dream job, quite simply, "didn’t exist yet" and with that motivation started her own business.
Together with a wonderful multicultural, talented team, she’s been involved in every step of the process at Kraken Counter Couture for the past 8 years.
She’s hugely proud of all they’ve achieved organically to this date, and moreover she’s incredibly excited for new audiences to discover what they do, in what’s affectionally referred to as the smallest yellow studio in East London.
Venture profile
Kraken Counter Couture is a high-end fashion brand and bespoke costume atelier located in the very heart of London. Driven by an adventurous spirit, the Kraken team has created eccentric pieces for fashion, music and stage industries since 2014, as well as working with a wide array of private clients. Their clothing combines couture craftsmanship with a good dose of irreverent ideas and conveys exuberant sensuality in vibrant technicolor. Over the years, they’ve gained a formidable reputation in the queer underground and international scene for having invented the first sizing system for the trans woman as well as having dressed acts from all over the globe, including a few Ru Paul’s Drag Race stars.
Mission
Kraken is the brainchild of all the things that are close Caterina’s heart, which no particular workplace seemed to embrace. At it’s very core, Kraken is proud to dress whoever wishes to to present as female, as well as those who are quite happy to stay in the middle of the gender spectrum. They like to think of themselves as inclusive, progressive, a safe space for people to feel loved and have a good time dressing up. When you buy Kraken not only will you stand confidently out of the crowd as only a true original can but you’ll know it to be made in-house respecting the environment, animals’ rights, and the people who work in their team.
