Outside of your comfort zone

"To change your external world, you must change your internal world . . ." I've never been afraid of change. It's been a hope of mine, to live in a fluid state with what I'm guided to do and accept. For me, that's what it takes to "live in the light" and be AUDACIOUS.  Two things I am pushing myself to do in all areas of my life this year.

So when it came to my designs, it became clear that I needed to change. My internal world about designing needed to match my external world (this brand). I used to design for comfort - to give myself and my customers styles that are effortless and easy. And while this is still the core of the brand, something has shifted within me.

Now, I want to infuse a sense of design that makes people feel a little "uncomfortable." I want the style to push us a little outside of our comfort zone. I believe that when we're outside of this zone, the real change and evolution can begin.  It's where we start to inch ourselves out from the dark shadows, the places we've been told to hide, to live a quiet existence while we age. To not make too much noise or take up too much space.  This is where society has told us we belong.

I don't want to live by someone else's rules, to make them feel safe and comfortable. I want to live in my light and embrace all of me for what I am and not what someone says I should be. 

I believe fashion can be a suit of armor to ready ourselves for the battle, but it can also be a cozy blanket that wraps us in warmth and comfort. I believe that we can be both, we can have both - to go out into the world The Protector and The Protected. This is what I want my clothing to be. 

This latest collection - Le Feline - was a stretch of my own comfort level. It was something my heart and soul had been craving and I was too afraid to unleash. This print and color seemed too bold, too wild - but I couldn't keep it in the shadows anymore.  I was finally ready to share this side of myself with you, because I felt like it would help myself heal and grow to the next level and do the same for you as you wear it. 

The deep Evergreen color was a nod to the healing green nature that surrounds me every day in Manoa. Like a cozy hug from Mother Nature, that makes Manoa so warm and supportive. And to juxtapose it with a bold statement of the feline print - felt audacious yet comforting. Exactly what I wanted for us.

When I design, every seam, every inch has a purpose - nothing is by accident. My intention for each design goes deep to the colors I choose and the prints I create. In every line and curve, there's a story and purpose. In every color I choose - there's a facet of life that I'm trying to coax out, to give space to. 

My deeper purpose as a designer is to keep you comfortable, while helping you step out a little. To push you a little outside of your comfort zone, so you're able to see yourself in a new light. Because I believe that is where growth and evolution live, just a little outside of the shadow . . . And I hope you take these first steps with me. 

-Allison