How an iron balcony led to our best-selling Laser Cut outfit.
Some designs begin with a sketch. Others begin with a little detail that sparks a little idea, the kind you’re not quite sure will work, but you have to try. And for our Laser Cut Set, it was just that.
During my MFA at the Fashion Institute of Technology, I made a trip to Portugal, the country that inspired my entire thesis collection. I had a few solo days where I let myself wander without a plan and without a destination. While walking the streets of Porto, I found myself capturing all of the details woven throughout the streets, from the incredible tiled façades Portugal is known for to the three dimensional relief tiles. One detail I kept coming back to, though, was something I hadn’t encountered in any of my research: the ornate ironwork.
Balconies, gates, windows, and doorways were covered in delicate patterns. Some were geometric, others almost floral, but each one felt like its own little piece of art. (The U.S. could really up its game in the ironwork department.)
At the time, I had no idea what this inspiration might become, or how I could possibly translate ironwork into clothing. But I filled my camera roll anyway, knowing there was something there worth coming back to.
Back to the Classroom
When I returned to NYC for my second and final year of my MFA, I kept thinking about the ironwork and gates. I wanted to figure out how I could translate a similar look into clothing: the repetition, negative space, delicacy, and craftsmanship of the ironwork, but in a way that still felt wearable.
That curiosity eventually led me to explore laser cutwork. The technique gave me a way to essentially draw with negative space, cutting an intricate pattern directly into the fabric and transforming something architectural into something you could wear. I hadn’t worked with laser cutwork before, but I had gotten a glimpse of its potential after making my own eyelet swatch by literally burning a design into fabric, and probably a few brain cells along with it.
For my first exploration, I went back through the hundreds of photographs I had taken in Portugal in search of a design for inspiration. Funny enough, the tiled wall that inspired me was one I found in a restaurant bathroom. It was simple yet fun, and seemed easy enough to begin with a swatch.
I sent the design off to my factory with one very apprehensive professor and a lot of crossed fingers. A few weeks later, I received the first swatch, approved it, and the sample followed.
For the silhouette, I wanted to keep things classic and uncomplicated: a button-down top with a slightly oversized placket, paired with a flattering midi skirt. The idea was to let the laser cutwork speak for itself. (And truthfully, I still wasn’t entirely sure how it would turn out).
What began as an experiment in my MFA eventually became one of those designs that felt unmistakably Brooks Avenue. The original white version was such a success, from the FIT runway to our customers’ reactions, that it led to a green colorway for fall, followed by our Carolina Blue exclusive with Kristy Harvey.
And we’re not finished yet. Haven’t seen your color? Another one is coming this spring. Stay tuned.
