For the past few months, I have been thinking, making and planning  for the Eustratia  A/W ’14-15 collection.

As an independent designer, single-handedly running all aspects of the business, making a new collection can be hard. I make one item at a time whenever I have some hours spare in between the rest of my work.

An image or item I make for myself usually sparks the idea and then I make a rough line-up sketch, which usually evolves as I start to create the garments.

Anna Dateshidze in the rose bodysuit.

I usually plan my collections around a theme and often base my editorials on a still from a dream but this time I wanted to tell a more complete story.

Harlotte Wonderland in the twist top and high waist briefs.

I always plan the concept and style my own collection shoots as well as making all the props, often with the help of my friends. This time, I decided to go one step further and do the photography myself as well.

This was a big decision for me as I’m not a photographer but so far I think it has helped me get closer to my vision by having control over the composition of the images and the ability to edit them myself.  Of course it’s every designer’s dream to own copyright to their images and I look forward to featuring them on my promotional material.

Hazel in the Moth bodysuit.

I used a variety of props for the fashion story and shot it in 3 parts to make sure it went smoothly.

Here we are on the way to the shoot the first set. (yes the ladder is also a prop)

Cut out butterflies and moths were used for the moth bodysuit images. These were lovingly cut out by my intern, Lindsay.

Wire butterfly headpieces were used in a couple of sets to give the impression of butterflies hovering around the model’s heads.

Rik made this door for me to use in a different shoot last year, but was not featured in the final images and fit in perfectly with this season’s concept.

The Collection is due to launch on the 1st of September  on www.eustratia.co.uk and will be showcased several times over the weekend of the “fashion and lifestyle exhibition” in a theatrical live fashion show.

During the show, there will be a slideshow featuring snippets from the fashion story, inspirational images and these little videos I took while shooting:

I hope you enjoy this collection as much as I do and look forward to seeing the rest of the story.

Amber in the new harness lingerie set.