SS20 COSMIC LOTUS: FROM CONCEPT TO COLLECTION
February 13, 2019
Early last year, Founder & Creative Director Lisa Salzer had the opportunity to visit Singapore for the first time. While there to host a trunk show with our friends at local boutique, What Woman Want, she was able to carve out a bit of time to explore the incredible island. What she found was a rich, cultural history set against a lush, natural landscape. It's no surprise that she returned to our New York studio with a sketchbook full of ideas - and soon after the SS20 collection 'Cosmic Lotus' began to take shape. Read on for more of how Singapore inspired her designs and how these styles came to life.
Above Left: Lisa, at the entrance to the rooftop garden of Singapore's famous Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Above Right: An awe-inspiring, intricately constructed wall of Buddha statuary.
Above Left: An ancient Buddha statue. Above Right: The Vairocana, one of the largest prayer wheels in the world, in all its glory. Visitors push the wheel in a circular rotation to send their prayers out into the world, similar to the ritual of repeating a mantra. Each time the wheel turns a full 360 degree a bell chimes to indicate the completion of the process.
Above Left: A Plumeria bloom spotted in the temple's rooftop garden. Above Right: Kneeling cushions for prayer, embroidered with a bright lotus flower - a symbol of enlightenment.
Above: The tropical climate on the island makes for a vibrant and lush landscape. A connection to nature was one of the central ideas that Lisa explored while designing the spring/summer collection.
Upon returning home from her trip to Singapore, Lisa poured over her travel photos and sketchbooks to being work on the SS20 collection. Deeply influenced by the symbolism of the lotus flower and a greater alignment with the universe around her - she quickly named the season 'Cosmic Lotus' and things began to progress from there.
Above: A close-up detail of the exquisite cloisonné enamel on the Vairocana, a technique often found in antique French jewelry. The scrolling shapes, bright colors and central lotus motif all served as inspiration for SS20. For the Lotus Statement Necklace (left), Lisa hand-sketched the shapes and then individually selected the array of Swarovski crystals that would accent it's rich, gold metalwork.
Above: A stunning ancient gold Buddha statue in the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Its concentric circular design + gemstone accents can be seen reflected in the golden Sundance Series, a favorite of Lisa's from the collection.
Above: An incredible embroidered silk tapestry wall hanging in the temple. The feminine shapes and gorgeous color palette lent themselves to the Lotus Hoop Earrings.
Above: These vivid faux flowers adorned the outside of the temple's rooftop garden, standing in bright contrast to the natural surroundings. The Dream Statement Earrings conjure this same playful, dream-like state.
With the collection well under way, Lisa looked to Art Nouveau
illustrations and 1960s Grateful Dead posters as inspiration for the launch -
bringing a touch of the psychedelic “Cosmic” to the enlightened “Lotus”.
Above Left and Right: Grateful Dead concert posters from the late 1960s. Above Center: An Art Nouveau illustration by Alphonse Mucha.
Above: Lisa hand sketches a re-imagined concert poster
announcing the SS20 collection launch and our Art Director
creates a digital version (below).
The collection is now live here.
SHOP LISA'S FAVORITES FROM SS20:
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