Inspired by my mother and muse, Mary Abouljoud.
To begin the collection, I conducted an interview with my mother. This would help me develop my theme and direction for the collection.
After conducting an interview, I decided I would draw inspiration from her powerful, driven nature, as well as the struggles she endured in her upbringing. A design statement was created to envelop these concepts, and explain them in further detail.
Once the direction of the collection became more clear, I began creating a mood board, fabric/color story, exploring different concepts in writing, and sketching to develop what would become the final looks.
With all concepts explored, as well as a mood developed, I began illustrating the final looks for the collection. Within each look, I aimed to encapsulate elements of tailoring inspired by my mother’s poise, all intertwined with elements of rawness and distress, drawn from stories told by my mother during the interview conducted prior. The prevalence of bones, raw edges, and burnt surfaces within the collection allude to the barren reality my mother faced in her upbringing; primarily her inability to pursue her only outlet from reality, and struggle to find an identity growing up in an immigrant household. In this collection, I imagine each garment and look to harmoniously combine these elements, infusing the sentiment and inspiration from my mother and muse, Mary Abouljoud, known by family as Mimi.
