Covid in NYC. Life was absent. The streets stillness without breath was daunting. On a leisurely walk, I popped into the local fish hobby store on Delancey street. For some reason, the vibrancy of the aquatic life that I had embraced with subtle curiosity became absolutely captivating. Patterns of colors and shapes, patterns of behavior and movement harmonized an emotional symphony within me. I started visiting aquariums across the country to spend time in this cerebral ecosystem. From there, I only wanted to be closer to the reefs.

In my desire to be closer to the coral reefs, I lived aboard a boat in the Caribbean for a week with other passionate divers. Diving 5 times a day, we were immersed in the alien landscape that was the ocean. I’d dive, snap some photos of beauty that caught my eye, and then board the vessel to flip through a reef creature book to identify and learn about the behaviors of my favorite lifeforms. Finding myself most captivated yet afraid on night dives where vivid colors and vibrant textures became spotlights of magic in a dark expanse of sea.

I find there is no better way to capture the essence of life than through pure observation. Taking my visual studies underwater, I came back to my studio in NYC to sketch the aquatic collection, treating each design with fragility. I sketched about 20 dresses and narrowed it down to 4, out of practical limitations. The materials were carefully selected with qualities to capture a part of the creature - a high-gloss terylene fabric and shiny sequins to feel the sheen of a lobster’s shell when taken out of the water

This was my first time designing a clothing line in my studio in downtown Manhattan. Through my network, I found seasoned pattern maker Luis Varon, and we worked closely to translate my sketches into toiles. The designs were unconventional, so without traditional references, we often looked to my moodboard with pictures of the aquatic life to guide the structure.

For the embellishment, Amrita Haralalka, who collaborates with artisans across India to create intricate, hand-crafted textiles helped me bring my visions to life. I designed the bead patterns, sourced the materials to send to her artisans and developed samples. Some techniques, like those used for the sea urchin skirt, required us to experiment together to bring the designs to life.

Once the fabrics were embellished, Zoila’s Sample Room constructed the final garments, fitting the pieces on models in my apartment throughout the process. Each stage carried the same captivating yet slightly fearful feeling I experienced on my night dives.