Collection Alicante: first steps

When I was little, we always spent our summers in Alicante. I have many cherished memories from that time: the smell of the sea, waking up in the mornings and peering out, hoping to find the crystal-clear water of the beach so I could go down and play, going to the breakwater to fish with my 'fishing rod' (a cut cane stick with fishing line tied to the end, and its white and red buoy).

When I was thinking about themes for the collection, I decided that being the first summer collection, the theme had to be Alicante.

(1. Illustrations from the French botanist and geologist: Charles Henry Dessalines d'Orbigny, from his "Dictionnaire universel d'Histoire Naturelle" | 2. Images of seaweed via Google | 3. Children on the beach by Joaquín Sorolla | 4. Photograph of 1950s bathing caps, via Google)

Remembering moments, places and things, I began collecting very different images: ice creams, snorkeling goggles, mats, the iconic jelly shoes, stones, seashells, colorful glass pieces, sea urchin skeletons, fans, fireworks, light bulbs hanging from cables at neighborhood parties, seaweed, limpets, bikes, park geraniums...

Then you have to start somehow, not knowing exactly where you're heading. Drawing helps me. I'm not sure how, but ideas become clearer: some themes gain strength, while others seem to discard themselves... and gradually the collection takes shape.

Alicante is composed of three families: Seaweed, Buoys, and Terraces. Together, they form a landscape, like parts of a set that serves to tell a story (going from the organic to the geometric):

The Seaweed family is about the sea. The prints have organic shapes:watercolor drawings of seaweed or algae silhouettes in different colors.

The Buoys family is about the breakwater (link between the sea and the terraces overlooking it). Geometric prints with rounded shapes: fishing buoys, weights and hooks on fabric; or their more abstract version in knitted garments.

The Terraces family: with geometric print, formed by colored rectangles representing the awnings and windows of the buildings.

I used some of the working drawings to make the labels (personalized by families). I like that each garment tells its own story, because things make more sense when we understand where they come from.