Camilla Skovgaard
In her late teens, she moved to Paris to train in couture, the late Monsieur Erik Mortensen of Balmain had written her some encouraging words when she sent him her sketches. Aged 20 a French owned fashion house brought Camilla to Dubai to design for the Gulf Sheikhs’ wives and daughters and it was in this connection that she eventually came onto shoes. Shoes were often ignored, something tucked in under floor length dresses’ hems and yet so crucial for the final look. Few years later Camilla partnered with a local, took over a team of tailors and embroidery technicians, and was summoned to the late President H.H. Sheikh Zayed al Nahyan’s palace for designs. In 1998 DeBeers Inc. choose Camilla’s dresses for their diamond show in Dubai, a rare occasion where her work could be seen in public. As is the custom for women in Muslim countries, theirs is a life lived in privacy, mostly in the company of other women and no media. Curiously, her business partner observed that while she had top clients then it was as if she had not yet found her true niche. As the story unfolds – Camilla believes shoes are something that she understands better than clothing.
After 7 years in Dubai Camilla moved to London in 2000 and completed a BA (hons) degree, score 1:0, in footwear at the esteemed Cordwainers shoe college. She learnt how to make shoe patterns, cut the leather, close uppers and last shoes. Camilla won a number of prestigious awards in recognition of her talents as a shoe designer, namely Award for Excellence in Footwear 2003, London College of Fashion, Young Designer of the Season Award 2003, Footwear UK, Innovation in Fashion Award 2002, Cordwainers. Her eponymous shoe line took shape when she met Italian contacts in high-end shoe manufacturing during her MA at the Royal College of Art in London from where she graduated in 2006; Saks Fifth Avenue in the US bought her first shoes. Halfway through her MA Camilla was also appointed shoe designer for British fashion house Matthew Williamson with whom she is collaborating on 7th season (AW09-10). Camilla Skovgaard shoes are gaining recognition for their fluid-edged style and sustainable aesthetic combined with high quality shoemaking. “Intelligent fashionista. Think Arne Jacobsen in couture” (The Times). Her designs have attracted significant coverage in leading International media such as Financial Times, The Times, Vogue, Vogue.com, W, Harpers Bazaar and a growing global distribution in some of the most influential fashion stores, currently stocked in 53 stores in 17 countries among which are Saks Fifth Avenue in US, Wynn Las Vegas, Harvey Nichols UK and Villa Moda Dubai and Qatar. In June 2007 Camilla was awarded Queen Elizabeth Scholar Award for contribution to excellence of modern and traditional British craftsmanship.
Camilla lives and works out of London, Italy and Hong Kong.
