Into the studio with the fall collection

It’s like the birth of your child…

It’s difficult to explain exactly how I feel the night before we go into the studio with the new collection. Despite I have been doing it for years it remains really tensive and believe me, it’s a short night for me. It’s the moment when you are going to show that which you have been working so hard on and is so close to your heart to the public. It feels like the birth of a new child. Will everybody think she is as pretty and sweet as I do?

It all looks so easy, but there is a whole lot to a shoot. Moodboards need to be made, a model, makeup artist and photographer need to be arranged, we need to think about styling and lighting and will the samples be ready in time? It’s just a few things from everything that needs to be arranged before we can hit the studio. But eventually, after weeks of preparation, it’s there: shootday.

Good preparation is half the work

At 8.30 AM I arrive at the studio with a bag full of new scarves. 25 pieces that contain my soul, and I am thoroughly proud of them. While photographer Isabel Sánchez Olid starts with building the light setting I hang the new collection on the clothing racks and select the combinations with which they will be photographed. But first they get a good steam and iron, because it has to look awesome of course!

Meanwhile model Tess Mirani and makeup artist Brigitta Danay arrive. They immediately start making up and I can’t resist a smile. Tess is gorgeous and totally Spicy and Brigitta is an absolute artist. They obviously connect well. I let them do their thing because I know it will be totally fine.

Last but not least also my communication strategist Sander ter Haar and my sister in law (and reliance) Gracia Afriat join. They will become the team within the team which will be selecting the photos. Here as well I notice instant chemistry, and luckily I start to wind down a little. Together we run through the styling. Everything tells me this is going to be an awesome shoot, and my tension turns into pure excitement.

Lights, camera, action!

10.30 AM. De lights are set up, everything is ready and Tess looks stunning. Time to capture the collection! 25 scarves and 3 new cardigans (surprise!) means 56 photos so we have our work cut out for us, but we start like a rocket. From behind the computer on after the other ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ sounds, and that’s usually a good sign. Of course I regularly take a look myself and I can’t feel different than proud. The collection has turned out really beautiful.

Around lunch time the first 12 scarves are done. We are rocking it! But it’s also very intense so it’s time for a short break, we could all use some new energy. During lunch I notice how great this team is. There are some great conversations and a lot of laughter going on, and I think that’s so important! Days like these are hard, so it’s a huge help if the team works well together in the biggest sense of the word. Yet still there is a lot to do so… back to work!

It’s a wrap!

We’re shooting like mad and within no time all scarves are done. But… there’s more. New at Spicy are three comfortable cardigans which are of course easy to combine with a scarf, and they need to be shot as well. Quickly they’re done too and that means there’s only one shot left: the campaign photo. It might very well be the most important one, the one that needs to capture the essence of the collection, but this one as well is quickly shot. Around 6 PM we’re done. It’s a wrap!

Shoot days are always long and intense, but they give so much satisfaction. Finally I can show you what I have designed over the past months and with pride I present the new collection to you. Do you have a favorite yet? Have a look!