Behind the brand

Starting a luxury brand sounds daunting but the idea of White Night came about quite organically.  After living in London and working as a makeup artist, I moved to Spain to continue my fashion design studies. It was only when I started working for smaller artisan brands there that I began to see having my own company as a real possibility. 

Best Laid Plans

I had always wanted to have my own store or brand rooted in bohemian luxury and once I had finished studying and gained industry experience, little by little it began to seem like the right moment. At the time I was still living in Barcelona and the original idea for White Night was to be a concept space in the El Borne neighbourhood. The name came from the idea of balance found in yin and yang and the duality between the solar and lunar energies. The space was to have a small atelier in the back to create the pieces and the store would have the clothing collections along with natural skincare and essential oils from Catalunya. The vision being to carry on the tradition of artisan craftsmanship and fuse it with contemporary design. From a design perspective the clothes would seek to find a balance for women in modern society. Avoiding trends, they could be comfortable one day and sexy the next. Wool trousers or mini silk slip dresses, depending on the day or mood, the choice always up to the wearer. The space would be an intimate shopping experience for clients to get a feel for the artisanal spirit in a more personal setting surrounded by scents from the Mediterranean.

The Universe had other ideas

The world always has surprises for us and takes us down a different path than previously planned. During the pandemic I returned to Dublin and delayed the idea of opening the store while continuing to design the womenswear collections, luxury handbags, make bespoke pieces and launch the online boutique. I continued practising Yoga daily, studying Ayurveda beauty, adopted a pregnant dog and kept one of the puppies. I had gone from city centre life to a quiet seaside town and now after almost 2 years I think I would find it quite difficult to return to the chaos I once thrived in. Nature is such a huge inspiration for me especially as I move towards designing prints for the next collection. It can be challenging to be a designer outside of the main fashion cities but in some ways it’s easier. I design and create simply for the joy it brings and that is my reward, to see the pieces I have imagined in my head take form and come to life. The idea of creating balance is always at the core of what I do, and perhaps it is not always possible to achieve that in a big city.

The White Night Journal

I get overwhelmed by social media and it’s one of the most difficult parts of running a luxury fashion brand nowadays. I love to sketch, source fabrics and create collections but find it distracting, the constant need to be filming or documenting the process for social media. I decided to start the White Night Journal to create a space to not only talk about the insights of running a luxury fashion brand but also to look into the idea of achieving balance in contemporary society. To speak about fashion in a deeper sense but also yoga, ayurveda beauty, natural skincare, creative people and all the elements that inspire and guide us in creating a harmony between our personal, professional and spiritual lives, which essentially is what White Night since its conception is all about.