PAPER DOLLS

How did you become interested in fashion design?
I’ve been drawn to creative expression for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was exposed to many different areas of the creative world, from illustration and photography to fashion, and I think what ultimately made me fall in love with fashion design was realizing that it could bring so many of those practices together. Fashion gave me a way to combine storytelling, imagery, color, craftsmanship and self-expression into something that could actually be worn and lived in. I began studying fashion at a young age through pre-college programs at Parsons and Central Saint Martins in London, and later earned my BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons in New York. Those experiences helped shape the way I approach design today and ultimately gave me the foundation to create Paper Dolls.

What's your design philosophy?
My design philosophy is rooted in the idea that neither people nor their wardrobes need to fit neatly into one box. I’m interested in creating clothing that leaves room for contradiction — pieces can be feminine and irreverent, nostalgic and modern, playful and sophisticated all at once. I want the things I design to feel memorable beyond a single moment, so I put a lot of thought into fabric, whether that means sourcing something that gives a familiar silhouette a different perspective, pairing materials that may not be the immediate choice to put together, or designing a custom print when it feels right. Details and craftsmanship are also incredibly important to me.

I’m especially drawn to repurposing existing garments and giving them a new life. There’s something exciting about knowing that no two of those pieces will ever be exactly alike — each garment reacts differently to the treatments, materials and techniques I add to it. I also love challenging the idea that a statement piece has limited versatility, and I want someone to keep discovering new ways to style a piece and let it take on a new identity depending on the person wearing it.

Ultimately, I want to create clothes that encourage individuality, curiosity and a sense of possibility — a wardrobe for the girl who never wanted to be just one thing.

What's your process for designing a new collection?
My process usually starts by stepping back and paying attention to how I’m seeing people and the world around me at that point in time. Sometimes it starts with something as personal as a journal entry, and other times it might be an old street photograph I took while traveling that suddenly feels relevant to where I am as a designer in that moment. From there, I try to understand what those observations mean to me and how they might connect to someone outside of my own experience, before I start thinking too literally about individual garments. By the time I reach the sketching stage, the visual language usually starts to fall into place almost intuitively — the color story, textures, custom prints, fabric combinations and repurposing techniques I want to experiment with all begin to make sense together.

How important is sustainability in your designs?
Sustainability is important to me, but I try to approach it as an evolving practice rather than a label. Repurposing is an especially important part of my work — I love taking an existing garment and asking what else it could become, not only because it gives something a new life, but because the limitations and history of that piece often push me creatively in directions I wouldn’t have reached starting from a blank page. Hand-weaving is another significant part of my practice: I use leftover and otherwise unused fabric to construct entirely new textiles by hand. The current Paper Dolls collection includes handwoven bags created through this process, and the upcoming collection takes the technique further with a completely handwoven skirt.

How do you balance creativity with wearability in your designs?
One of the things I’ve enjoyed most since starting Paper Dolls is seeing how other people interpret the clothes. I try to create pieces that feel unique and have a strong identity of their own, while still allowing someone to look at them and imagine a place for them within their existing wardrobe. I don’t want a piece to feel special only because it works as part of one very specific look — I want it to inspire ideas and feel completely personal to whoever is wearing it.

How do you stay inspired?
I try not to put too much pressure on myself to actively search for inspiration. I’m naturally someone who collects things — photographs, images, objects, memories, pieces of writing, and small details I notice in everyday life — without always knowing why I’m drawn to them at the time. I also think staying inspired means continuing to experience a world outside of fashion: travel, photography, art, music, writing, and simply observing the people and places around me all continually give me new perspectives to bring back into my work.

What's next for you in your fashion design career?
Right now, I’m focused on bringing my newest collection to life and preparing to show it in Paris this October. After the show, the collection will begin making its way to DOORS, which I’m really excited about because it gives me the opportunity to see the work exist in a new retail environment and learn more about how people respond to it. Beyond that, I’m focused on growing Paper Dolls thoughtfully — developing small-scale production for select pieces while continuing to create the one-of-one and repurposed work that is such an important part of the brand.