“We can never know what to want, because living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come.” —The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
I think about this quote often. How do we know what we truly want? Is it the feeling we get in our veins that results in tiny bumps along our arms? Or is it a well-plannedmatrix of past and future needs? I’m wonderfully comfortable living in the grey here with knowledge that the answer is definitively neither black nor white.
To draw on one more quote, “to every time there is a season….” There is a time for planning, applying critical thinking and creating a SWOT-like analysis to your closet. And then there are times when I crave to be impulsive and just fall in love with something. No explanation required. No other rationalization needed otherr than knowing it feels right.
When creating this Capsule, Traci and I filled our atelier with some 50-plus beautifully draped prototypes, fabric swatches enticingly spread out, leathers, laces, and rich yarns. But rather than inspiring us, it felt overwhelming. We had just developed and shown our Fall 24 collection – we’d used all the fuel in our right and left brains to create items that we loved and that had a place in our closet and in our day-to-day lives, pieces that we could defend based on exactly where we planned to wear them. But to be tasked with this thought process for a Capsule that falls into the winter window didn’t feel right. Traci and I love a challenge -we have the energy - this wasn’t about shirking responsibility. It was about being so close to ourselves, and even to our clients, to know that what we truly craved was truly a capsule of items that tugged at us hard. Not 60-70 items, but rather a small basketful of only the ones that made us ache in the best way possible.
So, here’s what we did. We narrowed the line to the pieces that spoke loudly and coherently. We chose only the pieces that made us emotional, and we knew we would want to own for a lifetime. We created a small assortment that would be rejected by any trained merchandisers – in a bigger company led by outsiders this would be dismissed as reckless. To be so sure of yourselves, of the clients you work with is unheard of in the fashion industry. And I suppose that makes sense for big brands. But for us, we know better. If we love it, then others who think in a similar way to us will too. The collection felt so special I insisted we shoot it in a place that felt just as special to me. I had memories growing up and having Sunday morning blanket breakfasts on Jekyll Island’s Driftwood Beach. A sight that can only be described as a religious experience the first time you see it. Prehistoric in scale, it was where I wanted the collection to be experienced, and you’ll see the full mood captured just as we had hoped.
I think you’ll love the Capsule as much as we do. And if you get a chance, please experience this beach for yourself…neither my words nor, I’m afraid, even our photos, could ever compete with the real life moment.
— Amy Smilovic, Founder & Creative Director