I got completely lost in the thousands of pictures on my phone, during my long drive back from my last inspirational trip in Italy. I found myself rewatching the entire creative process of FAYE unfold from the very beginning. So, here's a dive into my camera roll, a look into the visual diary of how I actually got here.
drawings + set up for a lookbook photoshoot, 2023
embroidery test + more drawings, 2023
As an independent female brand owner, you are constantly forced to look forward. The next drop, the next campaign, the next season. But getting lost in the archives is a reality check. There is nothing quite like looking back at your own timeline to see where you actually started, and realising the sheer amount of work that has been poured into these years of resort wear collections.
The pictures don't hide the hustle; they reveal the creative process in all its raw reality. The very funny moments of absolute design chaos, accidental styling wins, and laughing through the exhaustion. Mixed with the not-so-funny moments where you want to cry over a ruined sample, endlessly pushed deadlines, last-minute canceled events, unanswered messages, or panic before a launch.
The amore t-shirt in the making + a floral top that we never launched
Lately, I’ve been on a positive mindset journey, and this reflection is part of it. I want to actively choose to be proud of what we have created so far. From our signature effortless silhouettes to our latest beachwear design concepts, it has been a wild, fun ride, and we are still right in the middle of it.
Styling research for a photoshoot, 2021 + shape research, 2023
It is grounding to see the shift in the process. Looking at the way I used to do research in the early days, what used to spark my imagination, and comparing it to how I gather inspiration now on my last trip in Italy. It really shows the evolution of our slow fashion philosophy. The tools change, the eye refines, but the heart behind it stays exactly the same.
BTS from the campaign of our very first collection + the fabric, 2022
Through this deep dive, I realised something important: I want to value the creative process so much more and stop always thinking about the final result. We get so obsessed with the destination, the final product, the perfect launch. But the truth is, the creative process itself is where the real beauty lives. The messy, unfiltered growth is just as beautiful as the final piece.
The Nahui Ollin vest in the making + the Nahui Ollin print first idea
Lately, I finally came to understand that the creative process is so deeply personal to anyone in this industry.
I’m showing these archives today for the past version of myself, the version of me that was never secure about what she was creating, always second-guessing if it was good enough or not.
This is to you: create whatever you want. We need beauty in this world, and the only way to create beauty is to create what makes you happy and alive.
Thank you for being part of the archive. The best chapters are still being written.
- Faye
