Collections always start with an inspiration— a theme or mood to help direct fabric, color, silhouette, and styling decisions. At the beginning of the pandemic, my family and I took to hiking for a safe and active way to get out of the house. I grew up in a house in the middle of woods, and have always been comforted by the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. One of our favorite activities this past year was to go out to my parent’s house and explore the woods and creek behind their house. We made lots of neat discoveries and it helped me reconnect with nature. It also launched the main inspiration behind the autumn/winter 2021 collection. During development, I looked to things that occur naturally but feel magical or otherworldly— rolling canyons, tonally changing agate stones, the cosmos, and the metamorphosis of insects.
Join us on our adventure through Mystical Nature…
Fabric Notes:
This collection is based in natural fibers— viscose rayon, which is derived from cellulose, the main constituent of plant cell walls, and cotton woven and knits, and wool. There’s also the introduction of vegan leather and suede, which is better for animals and easier to care for.
This season there are two standout prints: our toile-inspired traveling moth print and our hand ice-dyed viscose rayon. The traveling moth was created in collaboration with artist Katie Donovan and follows an anthropomorphic moth as they take a train adventure through the world. The ice-dyed viscose is done by hand in small sections. Each ice-dyed piece is truly one-of-a-kind. This dye process involves pretreating the fabric, then covering it in ice and dye powder. As the ice melts, it swirls through the fabric and takes in new and beautiful ways. Similar to tie-dye, but at a whole new sophistication level. The fabric is then rinsed and over-dyed to avoid any large white patches. It is then thoroughly rinsed, washed, and finished so that it won’t run or loose its vibrancy when washed.
The fabrics in this, and every Vivi collection, are rooted in comfort. Cozy, warm sweater knits. Fleeced, soft jerseys. Soft, sueded twills. Vegan leather that is buttery smooth with a bit of stretch for easy movement.
Silhouette Notes:
Mystical Nature features tailored, adjustable, and comfortable silhouettes perfect for any nature explorer. Our Adventurer's Flightsuit snaps up, ties at the waist, and features pockets for all the interesting rocks and leaves. Our Ruched Leggings, Everyday Pants, Explorer's Jacket, Cosmos Overalls, Moth Dress, Luminescence Vest, and Agate Dress all feature elements that can be tighten or loosened, raised, or lowered for the optimal fit.
We love to create characters and tell stories with our designs. The Forest Sovereign's Dress and Benevolent Warrior's Suit play into that element this season. We envision our vegan leather dress enveloped in ruffles on the queen of the forest— a strong, brave warrior that leads with a kind heart and compassionate spirit. The suit with its asymmetrical wrap is an equal companion— eternal, reserved but daring, and tenderhearted.
One of the goals of Vivi is to empower kids thorough fashion. This season, our Oxylus Sweater has strong, powerful shoulders, while still being soft, comfortable, and approachable. Our Positive Message hoodies have a note to the wearer on the wrist, easy to visit whenever you need a boost.
Another design detail that we are continuing is our gender neutral apparel that isn’t creatively compromised. Our flight suit, overalls, hoodies, pants, sweaters, and more can be worn by any gender identity. We’re evolving how we look at children’s wear to be more intelligent, creative, and inclusive.
What’s New:
This season, we’ve expanded our offering to include adult styles and sizes. Together by Vivi Design Studio was created as a way to help create connections, foster creativity, and support self discovery. As with our children’s wear, our adult styles are also gender neutral. We see the Together line as a way to promote uniqueness and individuality within a community.
Social & Environmental Initiatives:
Being better to the Earth is in the thread of Vivi. Extending beyond the textiles we use, we’ve evolved our packaging products to be made of recycled materials, recyclable, and/or compostable. From our business cards and enclosure materials to our boxes and mailers, goo design doesn’t have to come at a cost to the Earth. We also use the Offset app, which helps carbon offsets shipments and donates back to Pachama.
Our production is also more socially responsible. Everything is made ethically in small batches in the United States at fair wages. This also helps eliminate waste and reduce the negative impacts of shipping back and forth to offshore companies.
This summer we launched a blog, Future Dreamers, to discuss all sorts of issues that pertain to kids— from DIY crafts to book reviews to find a way to express yourself through music and art . We’ve had some amazing interviews with artists and creators, including Elliot Lee, and are actively seeking more content creators from diverse backgrounds.
This season we are also continuing our Brave & Kind t-shirt campaign. The annual proceeds of our Brave & Kind t-shirt are being donated to StompOUT Bullying, the leading non-profit dedicated to changing the culture for all students. StompOUT Bullying works to reduce and prevent bullying, cyberbullying, and other digital abuse, educates against homophobia, LGBTQIA+ discrimination, racism, and hatred, and deters violence in school.
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What inspires you? What do you look for in fashion? Comment below!