Kate Lambert facts for kids

Kate Lambert, who is known by her professional name "Kato", is a British model, fashion designer, singer, and business owner. She was born in Wales but moved to the United States in 2007. In 2019, she became a U.S. citizen.

Kato is one of the most famous people in the steampunk community. Steampunk is a style inspired by 19th-century steam-powered machines. Because of her influence, she has been called "the supermodel of steampunk." The look of the steampunk comic book hero Lady Mechanika was inspired by Kato. Her work has also been shown in many books about steampunk art and fashion.

Kato has appeared on the covers of several magazines. In 2012, she was on the cover of FEY Magazine and Ladies of Steampunk. In July 2016, she was on the cover of Phantasm Magazine's steampunk issue, which called her "The Queen of Steam."

She is often a special guest and speaker at steampunk events and conventions, such as Wild Wild West Con in Tucson, Arizona, and Salt City Steamfest in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Early Life and Education

Kato is the third of four daughters. Her father, Terence Lambert, is a wildlife painter, and her mother was a school principal. She grew up in an old Victorian house next to a 13th-century cemetery. She has said this is why she loves the Victorian style so much.

She left her regular school at age 16 to attend a college where she could focus on art. After that, she studied fashion and textiles at the South West Wales School of Art. Once she graduated, she started her first business, called Moshka. She made and sold colorful hair accessories online and at local markets in Wales.

Career in Fashion and Music

Modeling and Finding Her Style

Early in her career, Kato modeled for different clothing brands. In 2004, she started to design and create her own outfits. Her style mixed Neo-Victorian fashion with a post-apocalyptic look, which is a style that imagines what the world would be like after a disaster. Her ideas came from mixing the 1800s with movies like Mad Max and comics like Tank Girl.

At the time, she didn't have a name for her unique style. A friend noticed her art and told her that her style was very "steampunk." This helped Kato find the community that perfectly matched her creative vision.

Steampunk Couture

In 2007, Kato launched "Steampunk Couture," the first clothing company that focused only on the steampunk style. The company makes high-quality, custom-fitted clothing and accessories. Her designs often include elements from sci-fi, tribal cultures, and even Japanese street fashion. One of her most famous designs, the "Vex" outfit, was named after her friend and model, Ulorin Vex.

In 2014, her Steampunk Couture clothing line became available through the company DraculaClothing. She also brought all her businesses together under one company name, "Lambee Co."

Creative Projects

Kato has worked on many other creative projects.

• Toy Soldiers Unite: In 2006, she started a website for the fan club of the musician Doctor Steel. She designed the uniforms for the club and for the performers on stage with Steel.
• The Danger Element: In 2010, she designed an outfit for a character in a dieselpunk action series called The Danger Element. Dieselpunk is a style similar to steampunk but inspired by the 1920s-1950s.
• Action Figure: In 2013, a company called Flirty Girl Collectibles released a collectible action figure of Kato. The figure wears her famous "Vex" outfit.
• Steampunk'd: In 2015, Kato was an official judge on the GSN TV game show Steampunk'd, where contestants competed in steampunk-themed challenges.

Music with DK-Zero

In 2017, Kato started a punk and industrial band called "DK-Zero" with Derek Brown from the band Abney Park. They released their first album, From Nothing, in 2018. The band performed at major festivals like Wave Gotik Treffen in Germany and Wasteland Weekend in California. Kato is no longer a member of the band.