Copenhagen Retro

I hope you forgive me for the super personal blah, blah, blah but here goes... Last year I had laser eye surgery. I was SO excited for it because I do a lot of 'fine' work in design, stare at a screen, sketch at 3am, all that terrible stuff for the eyes that creative people do. I had a lot of eye strain and, you know, #ageing!

SWEATSHIRT DRESS COPENHAGEN RETRO PINK

I was nervous, but mostly excited. Bought some silly sunglasses (non-prescription, yay! Heart Shaped - double yay!), and had my surgery.

The next day I woke up and I was almost blind. 

DIXIE DRESS COPENHAGEN RETRO SKY

Added to that, I had debilitating migraines, flickering vision and nausea. Trip after trip to the specialist and living in almost darkness, with blurry vision plunged me into the deepest, darkest place, not just physically, but emotionally too. 

Would I ever be able to work again? Would I ever design? How would I cope? Would someone have to look after me forever, or for a few years... And what was going on?!

JAMIE SKIRT COPENHAGEN RETRO PINK

Anyway, long story short, after a few very difficult months my vision was corrected and one day I woke up and BAM! Light, colour, pictures, faces, all bright, shiny, perfectly clear... amazing!

I came out of my horrible fug almost instantly (thank goodness, I know that I was VERY lucky), and just started designing, and designing, and DESIGNING. 

SLOUCHY PANTS COPENHAGEN RETRO PINK

We are SLOW fashion. That means it takes me about a year to create a range. From designing the prints (or recolouring or working with a partner or collaborating), to working on the patterns, creating a collection, doing fittings, rethinking everything, going in for more fittings... trips to Jaipur where we do our printing, or just sketching, sketching, sketching - it takes time. I've learned to be very patient and allow the collections to unfold, and take their time. 

When my vision was fixed I created so many new collections it was incredible. The feeling of adrenaline and also euphoria (I can see!) got me working like a woman possessed. 

DIXIE DRESS COPENHAGEN RETRO SKY

Now, dear reader, some of those collections from when I got my vision back will NEVER see the light of day. They are what I call my "psychedelic" phase and, well, they're really 'out there'. But then some of the quirky, colourful, interesting prints, I ran with and redeveloped and created into collections. Collections that I'm really proud of and think show just how much happiness and optimism I was feeling when I made them. 

So on to the designs... 

Why did I name our latest range Copenhagen Retro? Well... ❄️❤️ I love Scandinavian style and I love the tradition of Scandi design that encompasses bold prints and icy blues and isn't afraid of some primary red too.

THE STREETS OF COPENHAGEN

I've always been inspired by designers like Marimekko and those bold, '60s designs. Copenhagen Retro is paying homage to those beautiful and unique trailblazers who made me want to become a designer. These streets of Copenhagen are 100% my colour palette for Copenhagen Retro! The primary red, icy blue, warm hints of sunny yellow, against an otherworldly winter sky. ❤️colour! Please check out our IG for a few sneak peeks and join us there for more.

SLOUCHY PANTS COPENHAGEN RETRO PINK

We created the Slouchy Pants for our Bunny and Copenhagen ranges. It was a bit of a leap of faith, because we're really known for our dresses and skirts. But I believed in them (hah) and made them in 2 prints (4 colours). And thank goodness your girls are loving them too. In faaaaaaaact... there are quite a few mums who are annoyed with me that I didn't make them in adult size! Me too, ok? I would love a pair.

SLOUCHY PANTS COPENHAGEN RETRO SKY

To my mind, they are what anyone would want to wear. And I also think that they are unisex - especially the blue base print. Yes, there's a bit of pink in there, but pink is a wonderful colour that we should all share! :)

SWEATSHIRT DRESS COPENHAGEN RETRO SKY

SWEATSHIRT DRESS COPENHAGEN RETRO PINK

How fun is this '80s look? Boy do I love an oversized sweater-dress and I think they look so cool, over leggings, or with tights and boots or sneakers. Of course there are all the pops of colour and awesome features (like pockets!) but our pockets are lined with colour too - I do love special details that your child can discover.

JAMIE SKIRT COPENHAGEN RETRO SKY

JAMIE SKIRT COPENHAGEN RETRO PINK

I love layering in winter and there's nothing better than a comfy jersey skirt over some tights. That way I can use a tee shirt or top to change the look constantly. Our Jamie skirt would be so great with a huge amount of colours - you could really make it look different every day of the week. 

DIXIE DRESS COPENHAGEN RETRO SKY

DIXIE DRESS COPENHAGEN RETRO PINK

We created our Dixie dress to be a sweet, easy-to-wear and comfortable piece that your child would love to wear. The pockets are 'swirly' and I love the contrasting binding. It's lots of fun, knee length and I'm told it's very soft and very comfy! 

Of course there are so many pieces for layering and beautiful tee shirts and socks and tights that I've designed to match perfectly with our collections. 

As always, I would love your feedback, please feel free to comment below, I love to chat about the design process and I'd be so happy to answer any questions you might have.

Love,

Alex xo