Expressing my aesthetic universe, my way of seeing and experiencing the world, is a part of my life that I need to share. Creativity is a source of vitality for me. Through fashion design, I bring to fruition ideas that are fuelled not only by the present, but also by the past, by everything that has surrounded me for more than 20 years in the fashion industry living a nomadic life, and receiving nourishment from so many trips.
When Laia, the creative director of The Animals Observatory, suggested that I design the capsule collection for children that I am presenting to you today, I was bursting with excitement. Adapting some of my iconic garments for women to the world of children was a challenge that ended up taking shape very naturally. Two of my priorities when I was designing for women were for the garments to be comfortable and pleasing to the touch. A phrase that defines the essence of the collections perfectly and that I always bear in mind when designing is: “the woman takes precedence over the garment”. Naturally, this can be seamlessly adapted to the world of children: “the child must always take precedence over the garment”.
#MisdosM have taught me to let myself be guided by my intuition more than ever when designing this small capsule collection. The forms and colours were decided from the heart and out of a deep respect for children’s identity and needs. That is why I want to share this creative process that I enjoyed so thoroughly with you.
The Nico pants, a constant feature in my previous women’s collections, were an essential element. They were the first to sell out in each of the versions when I launched a new collection. Combining this explosion of colour with a hint of eccentricity was ideal to create these first garments for the capsule collection, defined by an identity that boasts freedom, humour and fun.
The Nico pants are loose fitting and hand-painted. For the children’s version, I worked with two different colour techniques: one, treating the pants as a canvas, drawing strokes with paintbrushes; and another, painting blocks of colour with manual plates. These were the first strokes and colour tests in the studio:
The Tibet jacket. This reversible sheepskin jacket was one of my great successes in my women’s collection. Using leather for the “children’s” version of this garment did not make much sense in terms of the parents’ pockets, since our children grow, and they grow very quickly. That is why I wanted to offer this special piece at an attainable price, using a material that would maintain the quality and the pleasant feeling to the touch. The pattern was also modified and adapted meticulously in order to not lose one inch of the design.
Original Tibet jacket.
Tibet jacket. Tomas shirt. Nico pants.
Tibet jacket. Tomas shirt. Nico pants.
To finish off the looks I also designed fresh garments that would coexist harmoniously with the rest of the collection. Take a look at the Simona cardigan and the Angela and Tomas shirts.
I know that the Simona cardigan will become one of my daugher Manuela’s top garments this winter. Camel is one of my favourite colours for knitwear, and this piece works great both on its own, and combined with the Tibet jacket, as I propose in this collection.
Tibet jacket. Simona cardigan.
Simona cardigan. Nico pants.
Last but not least, the Angela and Tomas shirts. One of these, the Angela shirt, is perhaps the only garment that breaks with the unisex nature of this collection. These are the last two pieces of this small capsule collection in which all the pieces complement each other to create charming and appealing styles.
“A capsule collection of unique and classic garments that embrace, highlight and enrich children’s identity”.
V.
Angela shirt. Tomas shirt.
You can find the Vanesa Lorenzo for The Animals Observatory collection at 248; (Barcelona), Sugarfreaks (Barcelona), Sueños Polares (Madrid) and in these online shops.
