Greetings from the road! This week and last have been a whirlwind of color, creativity and camaraderie as we hit the pavement to find new designers, styles and inspiration for Spring/ Summer 2024.
We found an abundance of good energy – and an equal amount of laughter and joy – in Paris, Milan and beyond, each city serving as the perfect backdrop to dive into next year’s collections. Please enjoy this small update below, and join us on Instagram to follow along in the moment.
For Dry Goods
The Palais Royal was among our first stops in Paris, home to some of our favorite showrooms, such as Monies, Sophie Hong and Rianna + Nina. At Monies, we dove straight into their realm of striking stones. And what timing it was! This year marks the 50-year anniversary of the Monies label – we were thrilled to join Gerta, Nikolai and Hesse in celebrating the occasion.
Afterwards we stopped by Sabina Savage to pal around with Sabina and Jo – a total treat. In her spring collection, Greek themes abound – pegasi and amphorae have us imagining Mount Olympus just beyond the Eiffel. Next up was the incredibly joyful stylings of Aneeth Arora – such a pleasure to work with our dear friend Carola in the Pero showroom. The racks were full of nostalgic favorites, such as vintage-inspired florals, gauzy hand-woven cottons and a hint of red tartan. In between it all, we discovered a handful of incredible new artists who will be joining our mix – a surprise we cannot wait to share in the new year.
For Workshop
For the Workshop side of house, we kicked our week off with Uma Wang’s runway show – a fantastic display we look forward to every year. Her showroom was replete with tufted jacquards and beautiful silk linen pants dyed with coffee beans. Next year’s fabrics, created by the fabulous Riccardo Bruni of The House of Lyria, are inspired by the frescoed walls of an ancient Venetian home. A stop by Christian Peau revealed silks in bright red and cardamom alongside their selection of delightful python leather handbags – a zing! of playful and edgy that opened our eyes to the possibility of spring dressing.
The theme of this buy was definitely color – Trippen blew our hair back with bright pops of red, orange and navy. In the hidden showrooms of Paris, we explored a forest of handmade hats and spent some time with two of our favorite designers and friends, Makoto and Karin of Horsaki Design & Handel. We nabbed a few stunning runway looks from Sacai before skipping down to Italy for a stop in Lucca, a small city outside of Florence, to see more of our favorite people – Barbara and Klaus from Bergfabel, and Gaia from Avant Toi.
Overall, these trips are not just about buying – although we do find the most amazing things! They are about seeing the visionaries and artists who make all this possible. To get to see our designers in person – and hug, chat and laugh with them – is among life’s greatest pleasures. We are thankful to be part of this little community championing the beauty and dedication of the handmade. It is humbling and inspiring to call them friends. In the end, these connections are what make the world go round.
À très bientôt!
— Shobhan
