BeatRoute Magazine AB Edition - November 2019

Music and Fashion
Merge Explosively
In King Of Hearts’
Vivid Designs
Amber Mariel lives life in full saturation
and the young designer’s fashion line,
King Of Hearts, screams it from every
colour-soaked seam.
England born-and-bred, Mariel
infuses deliciously impractical yet
soulfully necessary pieces with the
musical subcultures of her British
heritage. As she says, “Who would the
Mods have been without The Kinks?”
It’s no wonder, then, that Mariel’s
loud and proud designs (boasting an
undeniable performative calibre) are
finding their way onto the bodies and
into the hearts of intrepid musicians.
Danielle McTaggart of Vancouver rock
duo Dear Rouge has performed in
numerous KOH outfits. “I don’t like to
be shy about style,” McTaggart says.
“People come to see an honest expression
of you and your music. Loud
is me and that’s what I try to wear.”
Learning to sew from a mother who
encouraged her at a young age to
alter clothing from local shop’s sales
sections in order to fit her (and the
family budget) ignited Mariel’s ardour
for design.
Later, despite years of experience
in the creative industry, she was
unqualified to attend a fashion course
at a prestigious university. She tucked
her dream away. But when Mariel unearthed
her sewing machine to make a
costume for Pride festivities one year,
people gushed. Ambition stirred anew;
King of Hearts was born.
The fashion line is a celebration
of expression and, less obviously, of
health. Depicting King Charles VII’s
descent into ‘madness’, the playing
card of choice represents a battle with
mental illness — something personal
for Mariel, an advocate of mental
health awareness. The heart imagery
reflects ideals of environmental and
ethical consciousness, as well as
shape and gender inclusivity.
Most importantly, King Of Hearts
embodies fun. “There’s always
a tongue-in-cheek aspect to my
designs,” Mariel says, who takes
seemingly dull or overlooked subjects
to alter how they are perceived,
and combines a love of satire with
“neck-breaking, eye-popping prints
and colour!”
By DAYNA MAHANNAH
Photos by LINDSEY BLANE
RHINESTONE
COWBOY
This canary yellow-andblue
sequin-and-rhinestone
suit is an uncanny nod to
the work of Nudie Cohen,
creator of the “Rhinestone
Cowboy.” With over 300
rhinestones hand-applied
to the two-piece ensemble,
Dani rocked this eye-popping
outfit during Dear
Rouge’s performance at the
Calgary Stampede.
NOVEMBER 2019 BEATROUTE 33