A Very Personal Project
A capsule collection born in New York, handcrafted in India, and captured in the heart of Mexico City
I’m very excited to share something special I’ve been working on for the past few months. After 15 incredible years spent designing for Madewell, I’ve ventured into a new creative space as a consultant and designer—it's been an exciting journey that has allowed me to collaborate on some truly inspiring projects that really speak to my passion for thoughtful design, storytelling, and craftsmanship.
I first connected with Shaila Khubchandani, the founder of World of Crow, a few years ago when Madewell carried her line. I’ve long admired her dedication to preserving artisanal techniques through handloom fabrics. All of their pieces are handmade by skilled artisans in India. When she approached me about collaborating on a project, I was immediately excited about all the possibilities and what we could make together (the textiles, the colors, the patterns, the silhouettes!) What made it even more special was the opportunity to design childrenswear as an extension of the women’s collection. As both a designer and a mother of two, creating pieces for kids has always been a dream of mine. I’ve always loved bold patterns and playful colorways in the kids space, and getting to work with hand-block printed and handwoven cotton brought this vision to life beautifully.
The collection came together via mood boards and video chats between Shaila in India and me in New York. It’s is a blend of my love for easy, versatile design and the artistry of handwoven textiles. I was excited to bring my design ethos—rooted in ease, versatility, and playful proportions—into this collaboration.
The fabrics are entirely handmade by artisans in Northeast India, without the use of electricity. The process is remarkable—from harvesting organic cotton to spinning the yarn, hand-dyeing with azo-free and natural dyes, and weaving on a handloom. Some of the pieces in the capsule take up to six days to produce.
For the block-printed textiles, artisans hand-carve intricate designs into wooden blocks, which are then used like stamps. They dip the blocks into plant-based, azo-free, or natural dyes and press them onto the fabric, creating beautiful patterns. Since every step is done by hand, each piece carries its own unique character and charm.
I especially love the kids’ bubble top and skirt (which have built-in shorts underneath!) in fun, wearable patterns. There are lots of fun separates to mix and match, and the cotton is so light, breathable, and soft—something I know kids will appreciate. A few fabrics and patterns carry over from the women’s pieces, so there are even more styling and pairing possibilities.
The process was extra special for my kids. My 9 year old daughter, Poppy played a big role in selecting patterns, design details, and silhouettes, which made the collection even more personal. When we worked on the co-branding for the labels and hangtags, she and Kai (who is 6) had a blast writing out the names with markers—kids’ art and handwriting are just the best. They were so proud to contribute to this collection and help me with work. It’s so much fun to do things like this with their involvement and for them to see it come to life.
We shot the campaign in vibrant Mexico City with muse, art curator and writer Su Wu and her kids, Isadora and Octavio. I adore the architecture, the lush nature throughout the city, the creativity everywhere. Mexico City’s energy made the perfect backdrop to showcase the collection. My dear friend Olivia Villanti brought together an amazing team—Alexia Puga Ramirez Garrido photographed everything on a magical sunny day near her Chava Studio atelier, and we plied with kids with chocolate milkshakes and bags of Bon Bon Candy.
P.S. The collection is available online, but we’re also planning some special in-person trunkshows at Oroboro in NYC, Vestige in Philadelphia, and General Store in California—stay tuned!
Thank you for all your support—this has been such a fun project to work on and share with you.
x
Joyce
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Congrats Joyce! Love the tag artwork the kids made. So sweet.
beautifully done!!!