Fashion week and this is what’s in my head.

Notes from a Founder and Creative Director

My head is filled. We’re putting the final touches on Spring 26, Traci and I just wrapped up an intensive meeting working on Fall 26 - choosing fabrics, me presenting the color story, and lots of debates - friction that is painful while it’s happening but I know now it’s like the pain of getting a spider vein zapped with a laser. It’s painful while it happens but the outcome is worth it. And when it’s not painful? Like a weak laser, it’s fooling you it’s working but in the end it was too tepid to really do anything great.

So here I will pause what I’m working on and jump on to SUBSTACK to answer a question or two I’ve been getting - courtesy of Matt and the Tibi Creative Lab (TCL).

Q: What is the idea for the Spring 26 Runway Show?

A: Hmmmm….. I’ve decided to do a radically different show than we have in the past. This wasn’t just born from the fatigue I feel when things get too repetitive or predictable. Rather, I wanted to zero in on things I wanted to do more of, be better at.

You see, this season, Traci’s been given more latitude than ever to create. Make great things that inspire us and affirm what we love about design, art, and life. If anyone is in a creative field, you’re all too aware of the devil and the angel that sit on each shoulder. One implores you to be creative, innovate, PUSH! And the other side demanding practicality, sellability, low friction. What’s good for us is, rather than worrying about either shoulder, we simply use our head. And it’s been proven time and again, if we love it, if we will wear it, then others will too. Not everyone. But some. And that’s all we need, that’s the beauty of not being pressured to scale. No outside investors here - for good reason. This reason.

So now that you know this, here are the things that I considered when thinking how/when/why we would show this season:

• I want people to have the ability to be closer to the clothes. I want them to pass by slowly. I want them to be able to breathe.

• I want to be part of the experience with the customers. Somewhere along the way, I developed a very deep connection with our customers - the ones who wear the clothes. I respect what they have to say about life, their business, their musings. I truly enjoy having conversations with them - they’re very smart and I thrive on that. BECAUSE of this, I wanted a show that would allow me to spend time with them. Not walk out quickly and wave, but to sit with them. Have a drink. Look at the models together.

• I crave intimacy. On a business and practical level I want the editors and the buyers who attend to get a deep sense of the collection and be able to do their important work. And then for the customers, I want them to be able to spend time amongst each other - not rush in and then usher out. It seems so rude, all the rush.

Knowing what we wanted to achieve helped us reimagine what the show would be for us this season. In the morning, we have a show that is limited to press and editors. Old school, super old school style. And then in the afternoon we’re doing a second show, over the course of a couple of hours, I’ll be present and getting to spend time with people I’m really happy to spend time with. The models will walk, people can see things up close and touch. And it will be good. Really good, I think.

Ok, I have to get back to work.