It's crazy to think that in the fashion industry we have to design a collection a year in advance! One cold winter day in 2013, the design team at Mata Traders sat around a table, enveloped in sweaters, hot tea/coffee in hand, flipping through the spring 2014 trend forecast shining from our computer screens. These wonderful images of warmth and color that symbolize spring gave me a sense of hope that maybe we would soon see the sun, but more importantly, got our brains racing for possibilities for new textiles and garment.
A few trend images.
My eyes were immediately drawn to a series of images of little houses like the ones above. These colorful homes toppling over of each other, create a cozy and friendly feeling of neighborhoods and community. I fell in love with the concept and decided we MUST have a "Little Houses" print in the Spring 2014 collection.
I began with hand drawing a few sketches of houses, scanning them into my computer and layering them on top of each other using Adobe Photoshop. Finally, after days of piecing together the perfect repeat and choosing the best color combo, it all came together.
We love the print so much that we are using it in 2 different styles! On the left is the Summerfest Dress Houses, which is only 1 of 4 patterns available in this dress! On the right is the Starboard Dress. I absolutely love the playful orange piping and solid panels on this garment. Both dresses are simultaneously bold and playful, sure to turn heads and many will compliment your fashion style and choices.
Left: Summerfest Dress (Houses) Right: Starboard Dress (Houses)