Coming Soon: BURU X LCB STYLE
Over the past 8ish months, I have been working behind the scenes on a project near and dear to my heart with a brand I admire endlessly! I am thrilled to share BURU X LCB STYLE is launching this October! Official launch date at the end of this post.
A LITTLE BACK STORY
If you have been following along with my blog since the early days, you are very familiar with my non-traditional college path. For those that are new here, long-story-short, I have long nurtured a passion for fashion design (since I was like 5 :), I began college at The University of Alabama majoring in fashion design, started this blog to share the designs I was creating/sewing, and in an unexpected turn of events, God turned my little plans into something much greater than I dreamed. At 19, I left on-campus college at Alabama to pursue my fashion interests independently and finished my degree in business/ computer science online. Over the past 7 years, I have pursued blogging and photography full time- working with brands on my blog and building my photography business.
Through it all, fashion design has remained a passion of mine yet it’s taken a bit of a back seat to blogging and photography over the years. You can see some of my previous fashion design & fashion illustration work here and here.
AT THIS YEAR’S SOUTHERN C SUMMIT
Fast forward to this past year’s Southern C Summit (a conference I have been fortunate to be part of over the past 6+ years- read more here)… I was so thrilled that BURU Founders Morgan and Brett Hutchinson would be speaking and sharing their journey of building a fashion brand! I was first introduced to BURU on IG a few years ago and became a big fan of the brand when Morgan started an IG video series sharing all the ins and outs of building their factory in LA. I have always been fascinated by the fashion production process and spent hours listening to Morgan share her experience building a team stateside that is able to cut, sew, and ship her designs from door to door within 2 weeks - a process that usually takes months when done overseas.
After admiring BURU for years, it was so surreal to finally meet Morgan and Brett at TSC Summit this past February and hear first hand about how they have built their business- creating stylish yet very wearable (and washable!) designs for women of all ages! I can’t put into words how much their story of family, fashion, and building a design business + factory inspired me.
Over the past several years, Morgan and Brett have launched collaboration collections to expand their brand and work with creators to bring new visions to life. I have long admired their partnerships with influencers - you can see some of their past collaborations with Valerie Dittner here and Megan Stokes here!
AN ANSWERED PRAYER
Back to Sea Island and TSC Summit - the very next day after Morgan and Brett spoke on the panel to close out the conference, Morgan and I had the chance to sit down over coffee before checking out of The Cloister. As we sat in the solarium talking about life, our career journeys, and projects we had going on… my jaw nearly hit the floor when Morgan asked if I would be interested in working with her on a collaboration collection to launch in Fall 2022.
An answered prayer. A big YES! I had been craving a project and partnership related to design (my wheels are always turning!), and I could not imagine a better team to partner and work with on this special project! Over the past 8 months, I have been so honored to work alongside Morgan, Brett, and the BURU team to dream up this collection.
DESIGN TRIP TO LOS ANGELES WITH BURU
In May, I made the trip out to LA (you can see where I hinted at this project here :), to visit Morgan and Brett, tour their factory, pick out each and every fabric for our collection, and finalize the designs. I was pinching myself the entiiiiiire time. Again, such an answered prayer… I really couldn’t believe it.
It was totally surreal to get to meet the people that will be sewing each piece of clothing for us and see where the collection will come to life!
DESIGN INSPIRATION: POLO & EQUESTRIAN STYLE
As we started dreaming up this fall collection, my mind jumped to my favorite childhood memories of fall weekends spent at our family’s farm surrounded by horses. Every year as the leaves turned and October came around, our family’s weekends revolved around polo- driving up and down the road to the farm and tournaments each weekend to cheer on my dad and brother in their polo matches. Being surrounded by polo each fall imprinted so deeply on me- watching my dad and brother enjoy every minute of this beautiful sport and spending time with my whole family supporting them. From the sidelines, I soaked up every minute of hearing the horses galloping up and down the fields, feeling the first chill of fall in the air, and as I got older- photographing their games and the amazing horses and riders in action.
While my dad and brothers were focused on the horses and competition of polo, the style of the sport left the greatest impression on me. From the leather saddles and denim jeans to the brass hardware and gorgeous riding boots, I was always taking in alllll the details. The beauty of the horses and the style that surrounds the sport of polo is unlike anything else I have ever seen or experienced.
It was a no-brainer when I started dreaming up a vision for our collaboration collection that my mind jumped to fall and the polo/ equestrian style I have admired my entire life. I cannot wait to share the designs Morgan and I have dreamed up that capture a hint of this beauty!
Side note: probably my #1 asked question is how I made the move to Palm Beach, Florida from Alabama… and the quick answer I always reply with is… my dad and brother play polo, so we grew up visiting the area and Wellington for polo tournaments and such. And my #2 asked question is how I got into photography. My answer… my dad and brothers bought me my first professional camera to capture and document their polo games. Through it all, I taught myself all the ins and outs of manual photography and editing… which led me to apply those skills to my blog and then to my work with clients! So many full circle things here.
THE COLLECTION
As we sifted through fabric after fabric in a giant warehouse in LA, my eyes were set on finding the perfect plaids, neutrals, and layered pieces that will be fall staples in your wardrobe this season and for many years to come! This collection is a dream come true in many ways, and I am counting down the days until we get to share it with you!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Mark your calendar for the launch of BURU X LCB STYLE on October 15, 2022!
Birmingham friends- keep your eye out for a special shopping event where you will be able to shop the collection in person just before it goes live on the BURU site!
Lots more photos and details to come! Head over to the BURU X LCB STYLE landing page to stay up to date on the latest & subscribe to the BURU newsletter for updates leading up to our launch!