Bravo’s Project Runway season 16 premiered just a few days ago. If you watched it, you may recognize one of the contestants if you were around for the LiveJournal days of EGL.
Samantha was the designer of one of the first American indie lolita brands Blasphemina’s Closet, now retired. Her brand was featured in several of the English versions of the Gothic & Lolita Bible.
In 2013, she expanded her horizons by starting a new brand, Samantha Rei, that embodies sweetness, femininity, and attention to detail. Though no longer strictly lolita, you can still see some alternative fashion influence in her closet and current works.
About Samantha Rei
Samantha R. Crossland began her design career with her label “Blasphemina’s Closet” in 2000. After closing “Blasphemina’s Closet” in September of 2013, she started anew with her new eponymous label “Samantha Rei”. “Samantha Rei” embodies the sweetness and femininity that has come to be expected from the designer.Samantha Rei draws her inspiration from such illustrators and Chris Riddell, Brom, Tony DiTerlizzi, Brett Helquist and Mihara Mitsukazu as well as stories like Alice in Wonderland and Snow White. Her hero Alexander McQueen along with designers Vivienne Westwood, Hirooka Naoto, John Galliano, Victorian Maiden and Anna Sui have influenced her style.
Project Runway airs Thursday nights at 9/8 PM CST. Best of luck, Samantha!
Samantha Rei is one of the featured designers in A Big List of Black-Owned Goth/Punk Brands.
