Softness and structure. Aspirational escapism and reality. A sense of discovery and signature femininity. Ulla Johnson’s pre-fall collection had it all.
“We did the shoot in Santa Fe — I was inspired by [Georgia] O’Keeffe’s landscape paintings going into this collection. The way she used these stark whites, the shadows, the architectural shapes and soft, blurred edges. We were playing a lot between the idea of softness and structure, so within all of the groups you’ll see places where we have restrained trapunto and gathering, parts of the body defined and then soft volumes. We also played a lot between different prints,” Johnson explained during a showroom walk-through. “This idea of shadows and light, transparency and opacity. We played with classical, eye-catching black, white and red. It was the jumping-off point this season.”
The idea of transparency and shadows lent itself to detailed, handcrafted paneled French lace garments, created with seven different laces spliced together, as well as a Battenberg lace collar on a sun-faded light blue linen frock or highly textural, graphic black and white fille crochet dresses and skirts made in Romania (one of which the designer was sporting for the appointment). Crocheted silhouettes, button-off details and strappy, skin-baring details on dresses, blouses and even swimwear added to the idea.
You May Also Like
A chunky, cropped cable-knit cream sweater (handmade in New York), styled over a fluid skirt, boasted a play on proportions and volume, as did outerwear (an enveloping cocoon-like Italian herringbone coat with button-off quilted lining or teddy utility jacket) atop blurred geometric hand-loomed separates.
“There was also — she’s less known for it — but O’Keeffe had a prolific period in Maui doing all these paintings of birds of paradise and flowers, so that was the other undercurrent with the palette, a very saturated, tropical feeling,” Johnson noted of her other print-forward designs.
Signature print mixing came through a “Bird of Paradise” printed frock, which incorporated eight prints piled and pieced onto its ruched bodice and tiered skirt. For the look book, hand-loomed garments were styled on top of, and beneath, bright O’Keeffe-inspired floral, ruched and gathered skirts, dresses and puff-sleeved blouses.
“There is this idea of escapism and fantasy that always, I believe, should live in fashion and particularly in my collection, particularly right now. We were thinking of this idea of memory, travel, what you take away and things that continue to unfold over time,” she explained.
Each look was styled with varying recycled brass and semiprecious jewelry (a continuation of her partnership with artisans in Africa), soft structured Italian-made handbags with hand-hammered details, and footwear, like a soft leather slide with resin beaded straps.
“It feels like found objects,” she noted. “O’Keeffe was a big collector, and I am, too. This idea of little moments that are gathered over time is something we always want to bring through.”
Johnson’s brand ethos and collection inspirations span myriad references and the idea of “being touched by time,” as do her ready-to-wear and accessories. Now, a new brand logo, emerging with the pre-fall season, is set to match that idea.
“That was the idea with the relaunch of our logo — we wanted something that felt it has always been our own. It wasn’t a departure or wanting to be wildly different,” she explained. “[The former] was maybe a little formal, and we wanted something that felt handmade — there’s this softness within each letter that captures this spirit of having always been with us, which is what I want my collections to feel like and is what we’re looking to build in the future, something that transcends a moment or season.”
With a store opening on the horizon, her sights set on Europe, and the mention of a future denim category launch, in tandem with her already booming business, Johnson is well on her way to the brand legacy she envisions.