Gauge81 Makes Clothes for Party Girls Everywhere
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Gauge81 wants you to rethink your relationship with party clothes.
The line, which first arrived on the scene in 2019, prides itself on "bridging the gap" between loungewear and eveningwear. Any of the brand's pieces – the sultry maxi dress, the roomy trousers, the cropped polo coordinate set – will make just as much of an impression in a crowded party as it will on your couch with a glass of wine. Maybe unsurprisingly, it has become a staple of celebrities like Selena Gomez and Emily Ratajkowski.
Monika Silva Michelsen, Gauge81's head designer, was born in raised in Colombia and spent time in New York before basing herself in the buzzy, burgeoning fashion city of Amsterdam. She brings a global worldview to her conception of the Gauge81 girl, a well-traveled, curious, and confident woman who doesn't mind a night (or two, or three) out on the town. Known for its sexy take on knitwear, clean cutout dresses, and sleek silhouettes, Gauge81 (styled in all caps) has solidified itself as a brand to watch.
Below, we speak with Silva Michelsen (mere days after welcoming her second child) about how her brand came to be, her inspirations, and where she hopes the fashion industry is headed from here.
What's the history behind Gauge81, and how did it come to be?
I'm originally from Bogotá, Colombia, and my family has been involved in fashion for a few generations—but I initially didn't set up to go into fashion; I studied marketing and business in college. And then, I ended up working in advertising in New York for a bit. When I came back home, though, the fashion bug bit me a little bit. I started learning the ins and outs of the business, and I became just really obsessed with knitwear.
We saw an opportunity in terms of bringing together my knowledge and network, and also this newfound love of knitwear, and we put together a team. We saw an opportunity to create a brand that was minimal, clean, very feminine, and also at a certain price point. (Gauge81 is priced at the midrange for the luxury market, with pieces ranging roughly from $150 to $600).
How did you decide on knitwear as such a core aspect of the brand?
I'm fascinated with the concept of yarn. It's not like working with just a piece of fabric that you go and create patterns out of and from there you know how it's going to turn out.
The whole production process behind yarn and knitwear—like where it comes from, from how it's knitted and the different stitches and the possibilities that can come out of one single yarn—are endless. It's a world of opportunity. The terms of the actual manufacturing [process] itself, I think is so fascinating.
What type of woman do you have in mind when you're designing?
Definitely a girl that is confident. She is bold. She doesn't take herself too seriously, and she's definitely a bit risky. And she's proud to support the brands that she's wearing.
You were born and raised in Colombia, and then spent time in New York, and you're now in Amsterdam. How would you say your Latinx heritage, as well as your broad worldview, has shaped you as a designer?
Latin women are hyper-feminine. When I was growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s, in most Latin American countries, there was a lot of glamour and dressing up I'd see through the day. I think being hyper-feminine is sexy. It's a fun, colorful culture, of course, where there's a lot of celebrating and there's any excuse for a party. I think these elements are present in the brand—not as much consciously, but as me having them in me. There are some designers that tap into their heritage very specifically, for example, in terms of craftsmanship. I think in Gauge81's case, the reference is indirect, but also unavoidably there.
Gauge81 pieces are a mix of sexy, but not too showy, and not too over-the-top. How do you find that balance when designing?
That's always one of the biggest challenges when I'm designing. I'm always thinking in terms of juxtaposition. If it's a super-super-short miniskirt, I'll make sure there's a reference to men's shirts to offer a little bit of balance. When you think of a collection as a whole, you want to offer that balance without going overboard with the sexy aspect.
When you're working, designing, or planning collections, where do you turn to for inspiration?
There's a lot of references to decades past. I'm always looking at a certain moment in time, or divas of a certain moment, and then translating that into what Gauge81 is.
For our last dress collection, I was obsessing over Lauren Bacall. She was, like, a definite Gauge girl from the 1940s. Before that, there was a lot of inspiration from the '90s, of course, in terms of clean, minimal lines and all that. My late mother, she was also a super diva in the '90s in Colombia. She's also always been a huge source of inspiration.
How do you personally want to see fashion evolve in the coming years?
Sustainability has become a very important aspect when you're selling a collection, and that's great. You can definitely see a heightened interest in where things are coming from, where it's made, and how you are or aren't contributing to [mass production]. A consumer feels better contributing to something that is doing good somehow.
In terms of style, the end of this year and next year are expected to be full of celebrations. All of the weddings that didn't happen in the past two summers will happen, so people are ready to celebrate and be glamorous, and I think we all will appreciate a good party or get-together. We're ready to give the occasion the power it deserves, but not without necessarily sacrificing comfort.
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