After bagging a Met Gala Kim Kardashian co-sign, Wonderland talks to the designer behind namesake brand ILONA about her craft.

With each designer comes a new way of creating. Some stick to the classic art of sketching before putting hand to needle. Others thrive on moodboards. Some get off on tailored precision, while others revel in the chaos of experimentation. And then there’s the type to indefinitely lock themselves in their rooms, and let their emotions guide them in a sort of trance, as they feel the rush of creativity pass through their body and into their stitching chisels. Ilona Perla Marie-Claire Slama is somewhat of the last kind.

Long before appealing to the macabre through sombre silhouettes that have become signature to her eponymous brand, ILONA, and dressing the likes of Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, and Kim Kardashian, the designer spent her formative years finding herself in multiple cities. She roamed the lonely streets of Paris, took in the gritty Berlin culture, before settling into Los Angeles, where the constant Californian sunshine becomes her unlikely other half. Her studies, too, were a far cry from the dark-glam you’ll see scrolling through her Instagram profile. “I always wanted to understand the human brain,” she tells Wonderland, explaining why neuropsychology was her chosen high education path. 

While the field cultivated an up close and personal relationship to the human condition, learning to use a sewing machine from a young age gave her the surgical precision to complete her operation. Hence, her collection entitled “PSYCHOSIS,” turns to hospital attire for sartorial inspiration. Splashed on her moodboard, you’ll find references of a nurse’s medical cross, not-so sanitary opera-style gloves, a healthy dosage of boned leather numbers, and a fairly substantial emphasis on extending the hip outwards and the cinching the waist inwards – an established ILONA signature.

From collections to custom, the designer’s world building rests on an off-putting pillar – to some, at least. Even her white face covering, reminiscent of a Victorian ghost, allows her to shun the everyday bothersome social interactions, preferring to keep to a circle of LA creatures of the night, so to speak. She opens up her world to those with an unjudging eye – such as Chappell Roan, who wore a green nurse get-up for the premiere of Charli xcx’s mockumentary The Moment – inviting her wearers to explore the nooks and crannies of their being, warts and all.

Below, Wonderland chats to the woman behind the brand, to unearth her gorgeously ghastly approach to design, talking Mayhem Ball dressing, childhood trauma, and pushing herself into the pop-sphere.

First off, congratulations on your Kim Kardashian Met Gala moment! How did that come to be?

Thank you! Her stylists Chloe and Chenelle [Delgadillo] reached out to me to execute Allen Jones’ vision, and it was a lot of fun to create a garment so different from what we usually see out there, especially at the Met Gala. 

How much time did you have to pull off the look?
I think I’m not allowed to answer this, haha.

Let’s take it back to the beginning. You grew up in between Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin, but LA was what really struck your creativity. How come?

There’s something about LA that makes me feel at home like nowhere else. I go on long drives and simple things make me truly happy. I love the sunshine and I love my friends, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else even though it would arguably be better for my career. 

And then you went on to study Neuropsychology, despite almost having an interest in making clothes since a very young age. What prompted that decision?

I always wanted to understand the human brain and I knew I would be creative regardless of what I study, but wanted a more mentally stimulating education than art school. 

Do you think that background still affects the way you approach clothesmaking today?
Yes absolutely, I always think about what goes on in the mind of the potential wearer. I want them to feel empowered. 

At what point did you decide it was time to start your own clothing line? Was there a deciding factor or was it a natural evolution?
I made a dress as a Christmas present for my ex-girlfriend which was never meant to be for sale, soon everyone online was trying to order one. Then I was basically pressured online (in a positive way) to start a clothing brand. 

Your style is so incredibly unique to you and your lived experiences? Can you touch on how the two are related?

I had an extremely chaotic childhood that I think traumatised me in a way that my brain processes life completely differently than other people. I wouldn’t change it for anything though I love my family more than anything and I love my life now. 

How do you manage to convey such emotionally charged experiences into your work? Is it a cathartic process you must go through?

While I was working on my last collection, I was emotionally really unwell and I think that definitely reflected but now I’m doing amazing and have grown in a lot of ways as a person and an artist. I feel like in the past year I’ve transitioned from a young girl to a woman and the upcoming collection will reflect that as well. 

And once they are out there, do you ever feel vulnerable, raw, exposed? Or does it feel almost therapeutic, like a weight lifted from your shoulders?

I feel proud of most of the work I’ve put out, and excited to go on to the next. Releasing something is definitely therapeutic, especially since the months beforehand are so packed with back to back patterning and sewing. 

Despite a deeply personal approach, you are thriving in the celebrity dress department, having recently worked with Lady Gaga and María Zardoya of The Marías. How does the process of working on a custom for someone else differ from your collection work?

I love it because it pushes me way outside of my comfort zone and I get to design things that I maybe wouldn’t have otherwise, and work as a team as opposed to alone. Also when there are several brains working on a project we can create something so much greater. 

Was there a favourite look you designed for Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball tour?

It’s hard to pick but I would say the black robe with the roses that she wore when she got out of the coffin for her Netflix show. My team and I hand painted and rhinestoned over a hundred red roses. The robe was entirely hand stitched. I watched that show live backstage and literally cried. 

And now, you’re working on your upcoming collection. What can you tell us about that?

It’s going to be really different. More pop. Very sexy. I’m pushing myself to learn new couture techniques for this one. I think I will drop the title quite soon. I’m really excited. 

What’s more important to you when working on a new body of work: continuation or experimentation?

Experimentation. I think continuation naturally follows, but I like to have each collection be a completely new era. It’s more fun for me and for the client. 

If there’s one thing you want our readers to take away from you or your brand, what would it be?

I hope they see that it exists first and foremost as an art form, and secondly as a business. Everything I do is a love letter to the craft. All my decisions come from a place of authenticity. I hope they notice that regardless of the cheap copies of my clothes out there, if you compare the release dates, the original is always ILONA. 

Thank you so much for having me Wonderland <3

Words — Juliette Eleuterio
Photography — Jamie Parkhurst
Ilona wears ILONA and Christian Louboutin
Hair — Outfitters Wig