It all begins with an idea. Having been commended as a strong researcher, my robust knowledge of past and present fashion references has been instrumental in establishing trend-led seasonal direction for LOFT. This story begun through the rabbit-hole of research, travel, archiving and collecting ideas / images till it bloomed into a concept based in Porto, Portugal.

Intensive step by step processes bring this idea to life. Beginning with travel to Europe, Australia and locally in the Hamptons we were able to inspire the greater design team. Porto’s connection to the sea gave way to maritime themes in print, pattern, color. Their June festival Festa de São João where grilled sardines are a traditional dish enjoyed alongside music, dancing, and festivities throughout the city inspired our best-selling sardine can print. Pattern such as hand-painted stripes reminiscent of sailors’ uniforms and locally painted ceramics.

Styling is a true passion and strength of mine. When directing all styling for promotional outputs it was important to convey the modernity of this story through outfitting. We wanted to celebrate the use of bold color, and I used color blocking methods to allow this to sing. Saturated poplin dresses were cut with a bold striped shirt tied around her waist, mariner accents story-told a casual output with the use of bright fishing-net totes, espadrilles, and roped belting. She’s contemporary, spontaneous and eager for her summer social calendar to fill up.

This May 2024 collection saw a positive turn in sales and most importantly an eager response to the contemporary color, print, styling that we presented her with. This was a passion project for my team, we felt incredibly passionate about this projection and were lauded by management that she went there with us!