"As an immigrant single parent family we only had just enough money to get by. My mom would come home from a long day of work exhausted and after a dinner of rice and beans or ordering take out she would lay on the couch and watch TV. Her favorite movies were The Princess Bride, Braveheart, Shakespeare In Love and any period film of the 90's. On the weekends we would sit and watch hours of history channel, she would show me beautiful European castles and churches that she was dreaming of visiting. This campaign is a love letter to my mom and my younger self. Now we get to travel and see the world together like we used to dream of."
"The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie growing up. When I was 10, I found a copy of Hans Christensen Anderson's fairy tale published in 1837 in my school library. I was so excited to read it only to realize the original tale was much darker, with a completely different ending. When the mermaid walks with her new legs she feels the stabs of a hundred knives with every step. She dances beautifully for the prince and, despite her best efforts, he fails to profess his love for her and she turns into sea foam. The gods take pity on her and she floats up into the air to become a wind spirit. Some historians believe The Little Mermaid is a queer allegory; the author sent the story to his "friend" upon learning of his engagement."
"We showed the collection in September during New York Fashion Week. After the viral success of Collection III, I wanted to show in NY, my hometown, and officially debut the brand and my designs to the industry. The show was life changing, but not for the reasons I thought it would be. In the end, Vogue didn't write about us and the industry support I was hoping for never came. Instead it came from you, the online community that has impacted my life and the lives of many others who now rely on the success of this brand for their livelihood. We are all so grateful for your support. It was beautiful to watch my team come together to make this show happen, and subsequently to make this launch our most beautiful yet."
