Have you ever sat back and observed how the Universe truly works in mysterious ways? In the small and minute movements that happen to allow for a bigger moment to happen? That's how I've been feeling about this collection. Before I can go forward, let me go back for a moment.
This brand has been in existence for almost 18 years . . . I go back and forth on which year I actually "started" because I was supposed to launch in 2007, but ended up delaying the launch till the following year due to manufacturing mishaps. So, from now on, I'll keep 2008 as my first year in business. That means this year marks our 18th anniversary. And if you remember when we used to have a retail store in Ala Moana, we lovingly named this time of year "Alliversary" and it kinda stuck. So this year is our 18th Alliversary.
And who knows where my head was last September because it just came and went. We didn't have a chance to celebrate Alliversary, so when this June rolled around I knew I wanted to work to bring the celebration back. But with fashion — timing is everything! So many pieces and moving parts go into putting a collection together and I wanted this one to be special. I wanted to launch a print.
It's been more than a year since we launched a print design and there's a lot that goes into making one. First, I have to draw the print . . . but let me stop you there so I can preface that I am NOT a print designer. I didn't go to school for it or anything. But when it comes to print designing for clothing, I know I have a particular point of view and an understanding of what I want clothes to do for our bodies. I use the same philosophy . . . will this print make me look good (and feel good?)
For me, that means a level of understated elegance or effortlessness — basically, "looking good without trying too hard." So when I started thinking about a print for this Alliversary, I wanted it to embody this feeling. I also didn't have a lot of time and needed to create something fast, so I went into my archives and found a print that I still LOVE. A simple and understated "branch" print that we launched many years ago. When I first designed this print, it was inspired by the Japanese sakura tree, in its dormant stage, with no flowers or blooms.
To give it new life, I started making small tweaks to the original, changing the size of the print to be a bit larger than the last time. And as I was going through the process, I remembered why I created this print in the first place. The significance of the period right before the sakura blooms — it's still cold, but the season begins to shift to the right environment. The tree's perseverance to withstand the changes in weather, its ability to flourish even in hardships. Remembering this sparked something in me and I knew I had to make this happen for Alliversary.
If you've been following along, you know we made a big business decision to move our fulfillment to the mainland U.S. And along with many other changes and delays, our Alliversary collection is slowly but surely coming together. We were able to secure two styles ahead of time so we can already share our new print with you. That means we're starting our anniversary celebration now and it'll continue on into October.
This Alliversary Collection is about the perseverance of the branches before the blooms, the small shifts and minute movements that make a bloom possible. I felt it with bringing this collection together and I can see how something like a bare branch can become the clean slate needed for the Universe to create the blooms. This collection, the timing of this warehouse move, and the transition I'm feeling inside of myself for this business is all the necessary and beautiful alignment needed for me to fully realize my true purpose and path in this lifetime . . .
So very excited for you to see this collection, to welcome its energy into your life. I hope it'll inspire you to appreciate all of the small shifts and minute movements in your own life that allow your beautiful life to unfold in ways you never expected.
-Allison
