CRAFT REVEAL OF THE WEEK part 1

beady little eyes

While Ramona has been busy with gods eyes and i-chords and keeping everything running smoothly at HML HQ I've been working on a secret project for a few months that has had me beavering away in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately I was sworn to secrecy during production which regular readers will know was a kind of torture for me, but now i'm happy to announce the veil has been lifted and I can blab away with impunity!!!

Incredibly talented and gutsy friends of mine started up their own fashion label Huudaverti last year and launched their first collection at Fiji Fashion Week. They got such a great response that this year they were invited to showcase a capsule collection FFFWeek in New York.  Unbelievably they then asked if I was interested in collabbing and could I whip up some accessories to go with. 

Those who know me well are acutely aware that this clearly presented a major bucket list tick moment, because all I wanted to do as a kid was be a fashion designer. Seriously people ITS ALL I WANTED TO DO. As you can imagine the prospect of anything of mine appearing on a runway anywhere let alone NYC was clearly too exciting to say no to. The job was also made all the more attractive by the fact that I really like what they do, we've been friends for over 20 years and we can pretty much pick out each others favourite outfits in the dark, so working remotely was never going to be an issue.

Charged with the responsibility of coming up with at least one piece for each of the 12 looks, as well as a special something something for the ladies for heir victory runway stomp I got busy. Evidence of just how much I got caught up in this project is probably best articulated by the fact that I happily worked every night from the minute the kids were in bed until my eyes literally closed at the kitchen table/studio workbench for over a month without complaining once.

In the process I learned loads, found a new groove and discovered yet another affirmation that making stuff is deeply ingrained in my DNA. I also discovered the frustration of being creatively limited by limited skills - which I'm sure pretty much everyone moving from amateur to pro will be familiar with, and became very aware of the inherent challenges in using a popular domestic material with specific physical limitations to develop work that both met the brief and spoke with my own voice. 

Still I soldiered on and to be honest I was pretty happy with the results, I'd pushed myself night after night and all that practice was clearly paying off. I was starting to dream about new pieces, new shapes and new materials... (although in retrospect that may have just been exhaustion related delirium). Finally I had a wall full of bangles and baubles ready to go, just in the nick of time, and with a self - satifsfied sigh I pushed myself away from the bench. 

Hoping that all would meet the ladies needs I packed up the goodies ready to post...only to receive a last minute invitation to hop on a plane and help style the collection and catalogue photo shoot in Fiji just days before the crew headed to NYC to hit the runway. OH MY GOD ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS - FOR REAL!!!!! Obvs tiny little mind blown. Passport in one hand, baubles in another and blowing a kiss to family and friends I raced to Tullamarine.

Next stop Fiji. BECK