Bohemian, Clothing, Dresses, Environment, Ethical, womenswear, resortwear, Women, vegan, travel essentials, Travel, Sustainable Fashion, Sustainability, slow fashionNicki Patelnew beginnings, sustainable fashion, sustainability, women empowerment, covid-19, birthday, startup, arti, handmade, plant based, vegan fashion, cruelty free, capsule collection, resortwear, starting overComment

New Beginnings

Bohemian, Clothing, Dresses, Environment, Ethical, womenswear, resortwear, Women, vegan, travel essentials, Travel, Sustainable Fashion, Sustainability, slow fashionNicki Patelnew beginnings, sustainable fashion, sustainability, women empowerment, covid-19, birthday, startup, arti, handmade, plant based, vegan fashion, cruelty free, capsule collection, resortwear, starting overComment
New Beginnings

New Beginnings

By: Nicki Patel | 4.16.20

2020 has been a nightmare, and we are only in the middle of the 4th month. I have been struggling on when and how to launch our next collection with so much uncertainty, pain, and fear in the world right now. Ironically, the new capsule collection I designed last year is called New Beginnings, and maybe now more than ever this might be what we all need – New Beginnings…

“Going through things you never thought you’d go through will only take you places you never thought you’d get to…” ~Morgan Harper Nichols

The New Beginnings Collection took me:

  • 5 months to perfect my sketches of each design

  • over 1 year from inception to final samples

  • 6 month to source the perfect Italian linen and create our custom print design with my favorite Addie Rippin

  • 2 $600 final sample dresses lost in transit within NYC

  • 1 canceled trade show

  • 9 USPS claims

  • 45+ hours calls, holds, and searching high and low for samples during the holidays in December

  • multiple breakdowns, breakouts, and loss of all hope

  • 2 never found dresses

  • Milo’s liver enzymes climbing rapidly requiring a laparoscopic biopsy

  • an unknown mass found in his liver with invalid diagnosis requiring further testing

  • a lobectomy

  • learning the mass is benign

  • COVID-19

In retrospect, nothing matters more than family and time. Enjoy it, indulge in it, cry it out, pray on it, meditate on it, scream it, believe it, hope it, dream it, share it, and don’t ever every stop caring about it.

The New Beginnings collection is more than just clothing; just like everything else I hope to put out into the world. It is the story of the women who helped me, believed in me, and guided me to come through everything above with courage and strength. It is the story of the women who sew our fabric, hand-dye or print our pieces, and hand make each piece with love at MasterG. The collection is a break into the future that is unknown and scary, but holds hope and courage. I want this to be a place you are able to feel and see vibrancy that might not currently be your reality, and I feel the collection has the same energy.

I designed the collection to be made of the most sustainable plant-based materials such as linen and banana fabric. The capsule collection is also made to build on the previous Bandhani collection, and continue to inspire seasonless, slow fashion. The pieces are especially unique in that many are one-size, encompassing more women which is my goal to continue to strive to do as I design into the future (fingers-crossed). Lastly, the pieces can be worn in more than one way which is my favorite aspect, and I can’t wait for you to see the complete lookbook on Saturday, April 18th (our b-day!).

Since so much has gone into bringing this collection to life, I will be releasing the entire collection on April 18th, our birthday, on a pre-order basis, and updating each product description with the most current status of the piece. I will continue to update the descriptions as I learn more details about my team of artisan women currently in lockdown in India, as well as when our factory will reopen in NYC. My hope is to have all pieces ship out by early June.

If you are able to pre-order at this time, your support means the world to us at this difficult time where we are contemplating closing our doors. I will also continue to donate 20% of all proceeds to Project HOPE so we can support the true health care heroes at the front lines fighting COVID-19 in hospitals across the globe.

Thank you so much for believing in us, sticking with us, and supporting us from the beginning. I don’t have the words to express the gratitude I feel towards being able to have a new beginning.

xo milo+nicki