Greetings storytellers!
I know, I know, it’s been a quiet couple of months after our Raya 23 campaign, you must be wondering what we have been up to. Well apart from popping up here and there, our small team has been working on this new campaign and brainstorming on next year’s raya collection. But good news! Our new capsule collection is out, bringing in new tops and skirts to be added into your wardrobe this season.
This new capsule collection is viewed to be an evolvement of our debut collection, Storyteller, as we strongly believe in story telling through our personalities and experiences. A good outfit too, (that’s where we come in) plays a role in boosting our confidence when it can make us look and feel good.
This season’s collection encapsulates pieces that portrays different kinds of stories such as romance, mystery and adventure. So much so, that we named them after the best storytellers of all time.
Sofia shirt: (Sofia Coppola)
Is named and inspired after the actress and filmmaker, Sofia Coppola. We admire her for her talents in art, particularly fashion, writing, acting and filmmaking. Sofia started her career as a fashion designer, and later on changed our lives with her impactful movies. One thing we can all agree to, is how she’s a fantastic story teller, conveying her messages through her fashion designs, acting and film productions. Our admiration toward her is not limited to her talents, we also love her styles and this shirt is inspired by her effortless pragmatic fashion. Her outfits are practical, understated and classic, though not without touches of glamour and femininity.
The Sofia shirt carries Ms Coppola’s vibe, i.e. nonchalant yet classically cool. Practical for any day of the week, this shirt is designed to be functional and suitable for work or play. The straight cut sleeves allows for easy and smart folding, for instances when you need to get a little more physically active. The large pointy collars adds a little more sophistication in your looks (hello, lady boss!), and would look super duper stylish with a chunky necklace or a simple bow. Lastly, our favourite feature would be the adjustable side buttons. Attach all buttons to get a slimmer fit, or unbutton them all to add in more room and flexibility.
Charlotte Blouse (Charlotte Bronte):
To add a little romanticism in the collection, we introduce the Charlotte blouse, named after the English novelist and poet, Charlotte Bronte who wrote the passionate classic novel, Jane Eyre. I would consider Jane Eyre as one of the most impactful classic novel that I’ve read. Regarded as one of the few books of its era that yields significant power to a female narrator, Charlotte Bronte wrote this novel as a medium to show a female character who is independent, from working-class, and unmarried, and eventually gains money and power, which allows her to enter marriage on her terms on equal standing. We admired how Charlotte Bronte carved Jane Eyre’s character as one we aspire to be - intelligent, strong and passionate, straightforward and honest.
The Charlotte Blouse depicts Charlotte Bronte’s vision in bringing out strength and independence in women. The straight cut pattern is practical for everyday wear and comfort, suitable for the office, or social gatherings. Embellished with english embroidery laces on the collar and sleeves, this blouse balances elements of sophistication and modesty. Tuck it in, or wear it untucked, with pants, skirt or shorts, this blouse is a wardrobe must-have as it just goes with anything you already have.
Harper Skirt (Harper Lee):
The Harper skirt is inspired and named after another female novelist, Harper Lee, who wrote one of the best classic modern American literature, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. The novel is not just a beautiful story, it’s also a very impactful one in its era as it gave a powerful statement of the Civil Rights movement, and continues to speak to new generations about tolerance and justice. In her writing, Lee portrays courage as knowing that you are going to lose even before you begin, but standing up for what is right anyway. Through her characters’ kindness in this novel, Lee has shown courage in a different light and as something new. Through her writings, Lee was able to send powerful messages that change peoples’ mindset and perspectives, and one of my favourite quote of hers is, “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb inside of his skin and walk around it”.
Parallel to Lee’s simple and straightforward style in writing, the Harper skirt is designed to be simple and practical too. We love the versatility and flexibility of an A-line skirt and how it suits most body shapes and sizes. As usual, we always want to add a little fun in our designs, and this skirt comes with a few adjustable peekaboo buttons at the back. Wear it unbuttoned all the way for more room to move, or button it all the way to have a more formal look for the workplace, or if you’re in between, you can also button them mid-way. Wear it with a belt for a more sartorial look, or with an oversized top for a more relaxed street style vibe. The neutral tone makes it even more versatile, and we think it’s giving the luxury vibe too.
Honestly speaking, I find this whole process of relating our designs to our campaign story so enjoyable! The thought process of blending in my vision, creativity and stories together, is actually exciting. How I see the world now, is partly influenced by the books, films and music that I enjoyed, and of course my families and social circles who share impactful stories every day. From these experiences, we learned new things, and gained new perspectives everyday. We work hard to be the best versions of ourselves, and along the way there are bumps and crossroads. As we focus on our own goals and journey, we also stay true to ourselves. Effectively, we all become storytellers.