Gabriella Cortese is the designer and founder of the French designer brand Antik Batik. She was born in Turin, Italy, into a family where craft, heritage and elegance were woven into everyday life.
Her maternal grandmother — of Hungarian origin — taught her embroidery at a young age, instilling in her a reverence for handcrafted work and tactile detail. Meanwhile, her mother, elegant and style-conscious, conveyed a natural sense of grace and sartorial sensibility that would later echo in Gabriella’s own aesthetic.
Thus, from childhood, Gabriella’s world was one where textiles, craft, and personal heritage mattered — a formative background that would later blossom into a lifelong creative journey.
At 18, Gabriella moved to Paris, initially to learn French and pursue studies, before immersing herself into the city’s vibrant life. She spent some time working at the famous cabaret of the time (under the pseudonym “Drama”) — a period that added a layer of theatricality, freedom, sensuality and Bohemian attitude to her sensibilities.
Paris became her adopted home — a place where she blended her Italian roots, her love for craft, and her wanderlust into a distinct creative direction.
The Traveller-Artist — Globetrotting Inspirations & Cultural Conversations
Gabriella Cortese’s work can only be understood through her journeys. She is, above all, a globe-trotter, constantly seeking beauty and meaning in traditional crafts and folk techniques across continents.
She has travelled extensively to destinations including Bali, India, Nepal, Tibet, the Silk Road region, Peru, and Central Asia, among others — always on the lookout for the ancient arts of dyeing, weaving, embroidery and textile printing.
In Bali, she discovered the batik technique — the centuries‑old method of dyeing textiles with wax-resist that left deep impressions on her vision of fabric, color and pattern. Her first range of pareos and sarongs emerged from that discovery.
In India — especially in places like Jaipur and other artisanal centers — she immersed herself in wood‑block printing, hand-embroidery, bandhani dyeing, weaving and other traditional crafts. She often spent months at a time building relationships with artisans — observing, learning, collaborating.
She speaks of these travels not just as sourcing trips, but as dialogues with cultures, as ways to weave memory, place and human story into fabric. As she has said: “When I travel alone, I am more open to encounters… These small experiences of life give me wings.”
Her clothing — tunics, kaftans, dresses, prints — becomes a map of journeys, an aesthetic translation of distant geographies, ancestral crafts, and a deep respect for artisanal heritage.
Creative Philosophy — Craft, Humanity & Storytelling
For Gabriella, design is not about mass appeal or fast trends. It’s about soul, memory, culture, identity.
She has often declared: “I love clothing that has a soul. I prefer to produce less, but better.”
She believes that “handwork is a value which is being lost in the world,” and through her work she strives to preserve those ancestral gestures and make them relevant.
Her aesthetic — a delicate interplay of bohemian freedom, folk tradition, vintage nostalgia, cinematic drama and global craft — is deeply personal. She once described her aim as: “To create a wardrobe that looks like all the best memories of a world‑traveller — like the pieces from her attic that bring back childhood moments or wild nights.”
She draws influences from Eastern Europe, Russian avant-garde, Art Nouveau, folk embroidery, 1960s Italian cinema, and exotic batik prints.
Her work is less about following fashion, more about invoking style as identity, heritage as expression, travel as memory.
As she puts it: “Women nowadays need to create their own personal style showing their character and their roots.”
Home Base & Creative Sanctuary — Where Gabriella Lives and Works
Though born in Turin, Gabriella has made Paris her home. According to public records, she resides in the Pigalle district.
For over 15 years, her Parisian home near Montmartre has doubled as a creative sanctuary — a place where she conceives her designs, returns from travels, and breathes life into new ideas.
In 2018, she inaugurated a personal atelier‑showroom at 19 rue des Minimes, in the Marais (3rd arrondissement) — a space that mixes studio, archive, boutique and intimate lounge, reflecting the same spirit of handcrafted, soulful fashion that defines her work.
Describing the space, she envisioned it not as a traditional shop but as a living, breathing universe — where clients can sip tea on Moroccan platters, browse embroidered fabrics hung like tapestries, and feel connected to a history of travel and craft.
She balances motherhood and creative life: Gabriella is mother to a son, Nicola, and has spoken about how parenthood influenced her travel rhythm — once able to spend months on the road seeking artisans, she now adapts shorter but intense trips, often combined with work on projects around the world.
The Designer’s Voice — Personal Words That Define Her World
Gabriella’s reflections often blend humility, curiosity, and a deep respect for tradition and humanity. Some of her most revealing quotes:
- “Handwork is a value which is being lost in the world. These ancestral gestures are being preserved thanks to manufacturing that asserts its difference.”
- “I love clothing that has a soul. I prefer to produce less, but better.”
- “When I travel alone, I am more open to encounters… These small experiences of life give me wings.”
- “Women nowadays need to create their own personal style showing their character and their roots.”
These statements underscore a philosophy that goes beyond fashion: a belief in authenticity, human connection, memory and cultural dialogue.
Why Gabriella Cortese Still Matters — A Designer-Woman of Depth
Gabriella Cortese is not simply the founder of a fashion label. She is a bridge between worlds — born in Italy, shaped by Paris, inspired by Asia, India, Latin America, Central Asia and beyond. Her life is a tapestry of heritage, travel, craft, and personal story.
Her work reminds us that clothing can be more than a season’s trend: it can be a container of memories, a tribute to traditions, and a means of cultural conversation.
In an era of fast fashion and fleeting trends, her approach stands out — grounded, human, soulful.
For readers, stylists, editors, or anyone drawn to meaningful design: Gabriella’s journey speaks to the power of travel, memory, and handcrafted artistry in building a richly textured wardrobe and identity.
Discover the Antik Batik collection at Edito, where Gabriella Cortese’s signature bohemian elegance meets artisanal craftsmanship. Each piece tells a story — from hand-embroidered details and vibrant batik prints to flowing silhouettes inspired by global travels. Perfect for women who value timeless style, individuality, and the soul of handmade fashion, this collection invites you to explore garments that are as expressive as they are wearable. Shop our French fashion collections at Edito today and embrace the art of dressing with memory, movement, and meaning.
