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LAURA: This is our resort '22 to collection for Monse.
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And we started the collection talking about rope climbing.
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Usually, we start our next collection
before we finish the previous ones.
So like about a month before this collection finished,
we started collecting images for mood
and picking color palettes so we can send out yarns and fabric
to be dipped in our colors.
And by the time the previous collection gets finished,
we will start passing knit sketches.
That takes the longest time to develop,
because you're basically weaving a product from scratch.
Whereas cut-and-sewn garments, you are taking a fabric
and cutting it into a shape.
So you do the knitwork before wovens.
And also, around that time, we have to order trims.
Like for example, this coat has a rope detail,
grommets, like all the hardwares we should order at that point.
MAN: Once you put those colors and ideas as a starting point,
you can experiment with shapes and new concepts a little bit
further.
But you're going to need the tools of fabric and knitwear
yarns in order to see those come to life in new colors.
So on the trim part, it does spur a couple of other ideas.
It's a good sort of in-between phase for Monse,
especially because we use classic tailoring usually.
The twist that we offer in the deconstruction or in the trim
is usually where it takes it to the innovative level.
For instance, we were drawn to this artwork of a rope climber
that our design director presented to us
that spurred a print from it.
But it also spurred us thinking of rope climbing.
So in the middle phase of it, we started
injecting rope climbing into the shorts, into the jackets,
into the hoodies.
And it made our tried and true pieces at Monse feel refreshed.
The tailoring felt important to have a '70s reflective
vibe to it, but then we also wanted
to have those punches of color that the print was
starting to reflect.
The rope climbing world is very colorful,
so marrying those two worlds is how we started this collection.
And as we developed the fabrics and the knitwear
and the shapes and the trims came along,
everything started to filter down
to what you're seeing here.
By the time the fabric arrives, we then
cut it in the real fabric.
And it might not fall the way it wants to fall,
and we have to make alterations so
that that fabric that we are listening to
does what it wants to do.
And that filters down more ideas down to the core collection.
And at that point, we sometimes bring a stylist.
We know what will be successful to photograph or style.
But when we are so deep into the collection at this point,
we forget what feels fresh from it anymore.
Because you're so drawn to the things that you love
and the colors that you like, that it's
nice to have another person's eye filter
further your concepts or pair them together in a way
that you had never thought of.
After that, it's the casting, the dream-making part of it,
the marrying the music with everything
so that, when you present it to the editors or the customers
or whoever is coming to your show,
feel that it all is gelled well together.
That's what you do when you present a collection.
You're supposed to make it look like it was drawn yesterday
and it came to life by use of music, casting, and styling.
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So this is a perfect example of how your first initial idea
ends up being completely different than what
you imagined.
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LAURA: The fabric we initially ordered for this coat never
arrived.
Right.
So we changed the fabric.
MAN: We had a color story in the collection
that we wanted to merge with this tailor and rope story,
and it just so happened that the blue that we picked
fit perfectly underneath this coat.
The orange pop with the blue looked good,
and the tailoring is very Monse.
We said this represents the look one of the collection.
LAURA: When my fabric buyer told me, the fabric you wanted
is not going to arrive on time, I
could have had a meltdown and hate everyone in the room.
But I said, okay, so what do I have?
Let's look at it.
So this gray fabric has way less color
than the original fabric we were getting, so it needed a punch.
So we said, okay, let's find more colorful ropes.
And our trim buyer said, well, we have like a week left.
The trims come from China.
We might not make it.
And my designer said, let's go out and look for something.
And they came back with options for me to choose from,
and we chose this one.
I mean, we're not perfect.
Everybody is allowed to get frustrated,
especially when things--
And I do get frustrated.
--don't go to plan.
What Laura is really good at doing
is not expressing that frustration to the team
because--
I'm like boiling inside.
She just does it afterwards with me,
and I take the brunt of it.
Trust me.
But it's important, because your team
is perhaps a little bit more susceptible
to being upset than you are.
You're running this company.
You are designing your dreams.
You have to take care of the people that are helping
you achieve your dreams.
And if you are perhaps about to give them a harsh criticism,
make sure it's constructive.
If they couldn't get what you wanted,
perhaps say how you could have done it better
in A, B, or C forms.
That's also a very important part
of designing a collection, is keeping the team's morale high
even when they make mistakes or things go wrong.
Because when one team member gets upset,
they can lose focus for the entire day.
And at the end of the day, you lose.
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