Fashion People Suit Up
Mar 6, 2026
Daniela Kallmeyer, South African–born designer and founder of Kallmeyer, who trained at McQueen, shares her rise from waitressing to launching a brand with $7,000. She discusses tailoring-led ready-to-wear, DIY store-building, selective wholesale and sustainability. She also talks about the label “lesbian chic” and how queer perspective informs inclusive design.
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How Daniela Funded Her First Collection
- Daniela launched her brand while waitressing at the Plaza and sewed many first samples herself in her Upper West Side apartment.
- Todd English sponsored her first show and trunk shows sold more than three seasons of wholesale combined, proving direct customer demand.
Hospitality Job Seeded The Business
- Daniela balanced freelance design work with waitressing and saved tips to fund the brand.
- Her Plaza job manager discovered her online work and helped connect sponsorship for her first show.
Make Samples Yourself To Stretch Launch Capital
- Do build your first samples and patterns yourself to control cost and quality when launching with limited funds.
- Daniela made patterns, sewed samples, worked solo, and scaled production only after proven orders.