With the debut UK launch successfully completed on the 11th, I have been nothing but contented to have been able to use the following days to recollect footage and relish in the behind the scenes footage I took of the process from start to finish.

The Liberty Truism capsule collection was entirely sourced in London, UK. It was halfway designed in East London (Shoreditch to be exact), and finished in Marylebone. We shot the lookbook + campaign in Hyde Park, the Buckingham Palace Canada Gate, and Admiralty Arch near Trafalgar square. This line was a true miracle as this was the first time navigating a new country, supply shopping, and conceptualizing the ideas on the spot.

Designing a collection during COVID-19 had its ups and downs. I had been released from my quarantine on October 30th, and had five days before the November 5th national lockdown to be exact to find an ethical supplier of t shirts, garment printers, label makers and haberdasheries that would pull my collection together at its foundation. I knew that I needed to provide myself and others with messages of hope during this time of massive change, culture shock, and tightened government restrictions. I also knew that I needed to produce a range of clothing and accessories that were true to my brands’ DNA but could also be worn at home and could inspire the wearer more literally than my previous collections.

Below are the stages of production of the Liberty Truism collection.

SOURCING/TRUISM CONCEPTION

I was adamant that I invest in the quality of trimmings, threads, haberdashery, and sewing machine. This move was an entire reboot in terms of the way I plan to approach my collections and I am privileged to be given the chance to use top of the line supplies in my upcycling strategies. It was important to me from the beginning that my branding didn’t get lost in this capsule collection either. The truisms needed to be given justice and complimented with the most attention to detail.

The truisms I chose were carefully selected from dozens of ideas that I had ruminated on since September 2020. This year was a massive protest in many ways. It was the underdogs and marginalized voices who were given the forefront in the face of discriminations, inequality, and flat out injustice. I believe that this heavily inspired me in the way I approached which words I chose. I believe in universal and global togetherness and that many of us at the end of the day feel the same way; but we also must pay our due diligence to those who are struggling with deeper systemic issues in which we can assist in raising awareness with.

T-SHIRT PRODUCTION

Although coming up with the exact Truisms to use carefully and with relevance took effort, it was the trimming, embellishing, and everything to do with that process that took up a majority of the time with these range of designs. I customized the relief nylon so it would work well as a cuff trimming. To follow, I hand placed every single safety pin, pressed each fusible stud, and hand basted every chain detail to assure it was all according to symbiotic measurement. The mixture of textures was incredibly important to me and I spent hours and hours of producing this to my maximum potential on a time crunch.

Also, with having purchased a brand new singer machine with close to 60 options of stitches available, I wanted to add that extra minimal detail of greek cross-top stitches on select garments as well as a sound wave top-stitches onto the chrome trimmings.

ACCESSORIES PRODUCTION

It was important to me this time around to produce accessories that were in unison with the main designs and to make them with aligned aesthetics. I want them to be worn separately with my clientele’s wardrobes while still being a conversation piece or to be worn with the collection designs. The crowns were the first to be produced. I took pride in making sure they were structured and before they were ready for the braided chain trimmings, relief nylon trims, top stitching, and fusible studs. Afterwards came the masks which were made in the same vison and embellishment patterns.

The bracelets were a last minute addition I decided to produce days before the lookbook shoot. I wanted a cuff that also showed skin beneath the crown motif; it adds character and made the contrast between skin and chain more noticeable. It can be worn with other bracelets or alone.

Here are some closeup shots of the final products. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in the new collection! Custom versions can be made available to suit each customers’ tastes and preferences while the ready to wear collection can be quickly purchased on StevieCrowne.com/Shop.