Notes on SS26

Shoot days are a moment in time. A creative team comes together to tell the visual story of a collection that the product team have been working on nearly a year in advance of the season. For Emello, this shoot marked our second collection and with the support of our growing team it marked an opportunity for the brand to step forward with real assurance.

We created a pared-back environment to match that mindset. We shot the collection in a London based loft studio with concrete floors and very little distraction. The idea was simplicity - space to think and space to see the clothes properly. Having spent my whole career working in offices, there’s a markedly different energy when you walk into a studio. It’s a naturally collaborative space and it’s the moment the product team hand over their creations to be brought to life. We chose models who felt elegant and understated, without anything performative. Everything was considered so that the focus stayed where it should be: on the quality of the collection and the ease with which looks can be created.

This shoot also highlighted the evolution of our travel suits. We’ve swapped the Lyocell fleece for a towelling jersey that feels drier and lighter. They still have shape and structure, but they’re more breathable, and feel right for the new season.

As for the colours, alongside the neutrals, the palette feels lighter and brighter this season. Mist green and buttery yellow bring a softness that works naturally with the rest of the collection. Spring has sprung.

After two days of shooting (and two long journeys to and from London - don’t ask, bad planning on my part) I could have been forgiven for leaving the studio exhausted and glad it was over. In fact, there was a sense of collective achievement and more than anything, I just can’t wait for the collection to launch and for everyone to see how far we have come.

Part of living with the collection since inception, and seeing each sample evolve into the finished product, is you have a vision of how each piece will exist. So when a stylist starts to reimagine the collection and bring it to life on the models in ways you hadn’t considered, it’s exciting, but also surprising at points. It not only expands your horizons, but it also challenges your earlier preferences and favourites.

Favourites - too many to choose from…

I went into this collection obsessed with the rust knitted co-ordinated set with the fluted sleeves. It launches in March and it’s a colour I kept returning to during development. I loved seeing the evolution of the brighter red in our AW collection to a tomato and then rust colour for Spring Summer. Seeing it photographed confirmed that instinct but I surprised myself by re-falling in love with perhaps the simplest co-ord in our collection. Our cream cashmere three piece set of trousers, top and cardigan was crafted in Italy and has the most incredible hand feel and lightness to the fabric, but I’d actually forgotten how elegant the set looks when worn. It’s the epitome of understated luxury.

This shoot also highlighted the evolution of our travel suits. We’ve swapped the Lyocell fleece for a towelling jersey that feels drier and lighter. They still have shape and structure, but they’re more breathable, and feel right for the new season

As for the colours, alongside the neutrals, the palette feels lighter and brighter this season. Mist green and buttery yellow bring a softness that works naturally with the rest of the collection. Spring has sprung.

After two days of shooting (and two long journeys to and from London - don’t ask, bad planning on my part) I could have been forgiven for leaving the studio exhausted and glad it was over. In fact, there was a sense of collective achievement and more than anything, I just can’t wait for the collection to launch and for everyone to see how far we have come.

Victoria x