From what I’ve noticed, it’s often considered taboo to show what you’re working on, what inspires you, or what’s happening behind the scenes. I understand that mystery can build anticipation, but I think it’s unnecessary.

Fashion shouldn’t be overly complicated. At its core, especially in today’s digital age, people want to feel connected. Instead of romanticizing perfection, a designer’s goal should be to connect. Show us what you like, what’s working and what’s not, remind us that beauty exists everywhere.

This is the approach I’m taking with WABM. Someone recently complimented how I romanticize the product development process — walking people through my decisions, mistakes, and the journey of making a garment. It made me feel proud because honestly the day to day isn’t glamorous. It’s long days of traffic, production delays, tight deadlines, and demanding work (physically and mentally).

But through it all, I try to reframe the experience as something I find beauty in. To me, a beginner’s mind means appreciating what’s in front of you. The ethos reminds me to stay grateful. In my toughest moments, I always challenge myself to zoom out and embrace humility.

With all that being said, let me walk you through what I’m working on next. Cash flow preservation has been etched in my brain, so rather than designing a capsule collection, I’ve decided to take the route of launching new items as they’re ready.

Tees are a strong category for me. Between the Wardrobe Tee and Studio Tee, I’ve been in love with the latter. The Wardrobe Tee is celebrated, but I truthfully don’t feel like I’m adding much to the conversation since boxy, cropped tees are so ubiquitous.

The Studio Tee feels different: it blends two silhouettes I love in a way that feels cohesive. The fit is tailored where it needs to be yet relaxed in other areas for a structured drape. I’m currently redeveloping the silhouette with some small tweaks to the fabric, construction, and fit. I’ve come to appreciate that a strong design can be iterated on, it doesn’t need to be an entirely new design.

I’m also exploring a new blouson silhouette, inspired by pieces in my personal wardrobe. When I went to Japan this past December, I finally bought clothes for myself. I view it as giving flowers to designers whose work you admire. The blouson is inspired by a horse leather sports jacket I purchased from H Beauty & Youth. My jacket will be reimagined with Super 120s wool, which I find perfect for the warmer months ahead.

I’m blabbering at this point, so I’ll stop here for now. Once I get the samples, I’ll do a deeper dive. In the meantime, here are some photos to give you a little insight into what’s next for WABM…

Studio Tee V2 - adding butterfly seams to the design. 

A flat sketch of the new blouson I'm working on.