Throw down your towel, get sand between your feet and turn those notifications off. Cecile’s search for sun is over, and it’s time to GO BANANAS on our tropical island of palm trees, get a taste of our sweet tutti frutti FRUITS and take a trip down the AVENUE DU TROPICAL... Pre-Spring 2018, bienvenue sur île de Cécile.

As the sole designer and design lead, I defined the collection's concept, ensuring its seamless translation across all phases of the collection's journey — from ideation, research and development through to sampling, production, and market introduction.

Sometimes ideas come to you, sometimes you have to go to Idea Books and sift through their extensive archive of art, fashion, music, and culture. After losing track of time, I stumbled upon the 1982 book 'Coconuts' by Jean-Daniel Lorieux.

Bursting with sun, sky and sea, 'Coconuts' is a pure 80s summer dream, featuring paradisiacal settings, bright, saturated colours and whimsical compositions. The ideal backdrop for île des Cecile, the book became a springboard for developing the collection.

Driving the design direction, I curated mood boards and gathered references based on the collection concept. This informed not only the print graphics, but helped guide the fashion and production teams in researching and defining silhouettes, fabrics, finishes etc.

I was responsible for designing over 30 print graphics, spanning illustration, typography, and patterns. These would be applied across various garment categories such as jersey, denim, knitwear, ready-to-wear, outerwear, and silk. Additionally, I created the collection's colour palette, determined print techniques, sizing, placements, and applications.

After finalising the prints, I managed briefings to the factories and print houses, ensuring seamless progressions through strike off, sampling and final production stages. I oversaw the art direction and design of the look books, and collaborated with PR and marketing on communications for fashion week markets.

Pre-Spring 18 is one of the most successful collections to date, with a total gross sales profit of £362,104.69. The single most profitable item was the Banana Bomber Jacket, which generated a gross sales profit of £16,977.92 from 222 units sold.

The banana series of prints — showcasing a slogan, icon, and pattern — emerged as the top performers, significantly boosting the collection's success. Applied across jersey, denim, and outerwear, and employing techniques like screen printing, embroidery, and badges, the series generated a total gross sales profit of £161,802.54 from 6263 units sold.

This collection set a solid benchmark for the development and success of future collections, with many of the prints I designed becoming all-time bestsellers. Further Etre Cecile collections can be found in the archive.