I wrote poems a lot in my teens. It was one of the ways I could express my depression, something I didn't have the proper words for, or the courage to ask for help. It's something I've always sort of done quietly and in private. While designing this collection, the title came to me first while I was looking at fabrics and color palettes. 'Of sun and earth' sort of danced in my mind for weeks and, one day, I was sitting on my balcony last August, taking in the sun and painting my nails and this little poem came to me. Like a little visit from an old friend that said, hey remember when we used to do this together? This title and the feeling of the sun inspired me.
Something that brought me so much joy as a kid was laying in the grass and watching the natural world around me. The bugs, all seemingly on some sort of schedule or adventure, balancing on the strands of grass, the sun warming us all and feeling the earth hold me. I think that the moments where I felt connected to nature were the moments I felt the most like me. And when I was and still do struggle with my mental health, I know that when I spend some time with nature and remind myself that I am also of nature; I feel myself again.
This is a collection of pieces that try to capture that feeling, although how can clothing really do that? My hope with these clothes is that you will take them with you outside, don't be afraid to lay in the grass in them, feel the sun and the breeze in them. Remind yourself that you are also of sun and earth and you have a special place among it all.