This weekend, we caught up with our founder and lifestyle leader, Lora. With the new autumn/winter collection making its way to our online store this week, we found an opportunity to ask her about the inspiration for the looks this season after some tantalising trailers and sneak-peek stories were released on social media.

You’ll want to grab a cup of something hot because this is too good to miss! Keep reading to find out about the latest collection.

 

So, Lora, how have you been and where have you been this summer?

I'm good, I’ve been really busy bringing the line together for Autumn/ Winter 2021. I’ve spent the summer working on the new season’s collection and took some time out to visit one of the most magical islands in Greece, (Skiathos) for a week of rest and work. I find Greece super inspirational- the colours, the nature, the peaceful Mediterranean. It was amazing!

You recently posted a few things from “behind the scenes” at Lora GENE. When a name is attached to a brand people often think it's not really them doing the work, but it's been nice to see you share insights into the decisions you have to make. Can you tell us a little about how you plan the new season launches?

So most of the work in the upcoming calendar will be seen next season, which would be Spring/ Summer 2022. What I’m finalising now, as we approach the end of September is Autumn/ Winter 21/22. This season we’ve come up with a subtle, very comfortable collection that will arrive in two major parts - one at the end of this month and one that will be released mid-October. We do the main season very close to the actual mainstream fashion season- so it's close to the demand of what people expect.

And what inspires your designs?

I had a difficult time with inspiration after the pandemic arrived. The global shifts over the past year have taken a toll on me and my team and we're now trying to renew that sense of passion, inspiration and collaboration- bringing new ideas together. I have been very drawn to the 60s and 70s- a fashion period I really love! Partially because there wasn’t fast fashion back in those days and clothing wasn’t just about dressing ourselves; but also expressing our desire to make the world a better place. Most of my inspiration is drawn from a different era, at a time when there was still a lot to explore and discover about how we wanted clothing to connect with functionality. Most of the designers I admire, are from this period in time or have been around for at least a decade or more. I just feel the silhouettes were so feminine and there was certain freedom expressed through clothing.

Would you say creating a collection for a strong, female lead is a Lora GENE signature?

My main philosophy is that nothing beautiful screams for attention. Because my women, the women I serve, are very strong characters in very different ways. I would say strong character, but not necessarily the lead. Leading their own life for sure, but not in what you may consider the typical sense. I would say she is very free; from prejudice and frames and perhaps free from the societal pressure to be something she doesn’t see herself being. The Gene woman doesn’t serve a norm, she loves classics but would always search for a twist, always look beyond what’s in front of her.

 

What is one thing people will always find in a Lora GENE collection?

Definitely suits! Suits are one of the things that we sell the least because a lot of women probably feel like they can't pull off a nice suit. But I’m going to keep making them. Because I feel they're going to find out that they can absolutely make the suit!

What do you have in store this season?

Some nice oversized trench coats. More intricate detailing, much bolder colours. This season I’ve introduced a pleated skirt; like a big, rich, pleated skirt, and a lot of new knitwear. Frills, which I haven't done before. And for the first time, I'm exploring denim and I’ve never done that. I’m not doing “jeans jeans”, but I'm doing denim pants, in a 60’s kind of style and a denim dress as well, which for me is a very new thing. I don't know this material very well. I don't know how it's going to behave, I don't know how it's gonna go. I’d say this range is elevated now I see that women are happy with the bolder colours and more detail here and there.

''I'm super happy with how the trench coats turned out''

And, how do you stand apart from the collections we see from “mainstream” brands?

I try to stick to a smaller number of styles, I usually try to stick to around 20. Because the smaller number kind of gives you a core focus collection that ends up in a modular wardrobe, you know, in a wardrobe that works together. So if you buy four to five items, you can make probably 20 outfits out of them. In general, the core strategy of everything is to have a major season, because, at the end of the day, seasons do change