LMS founder Lisa Mandy Seskin and Nadia Fairfax discuss their new collaboration collection.
What are the key trends showcased in this collection?
Nadia: Our collection leans on 'optimism dressing'.
Think bold contrasting colours, clashing prints and eclectic design features that make you feel good.
We plotted the collaboration during lockdown, so we were certainly thinking about future good times and bringing cheerful-ness to our designs.
Lisa: From the beginning we knew we didn't want to go too trend focused.
We wanted to create something unique that highlighted Nadia's style and personality.
Nadia was very hands-on in the design process and took inspiration from unconventional sources such as home decor, restaurants, bars and her favourite cocktails.
Her idea was to transform an everyday heel by contrasting fabrics and colours.
It's all about chic silhouettes in pop colours and luxury materials. A shoe that grabs attention when you walk in the room.
What were the challenges of getting the collection together? How did you overcome these?
Nadia: We have honestly done most of the back-end work via phone and zoom.
Obviously that is challenging when it comes to fitting a shoe, but nothing two witty ladies couldn't handle!
And, of course the rest of the world has been faced with the exact same problem - no need to complain about it. It’s about finding solutions, not problems.
Lisa: The design process is usually something I do alone so it was really fun and interesting collaborating with someone else.
Nadia brought such fresh ideas and a unique perspective and it was a really enjoyable process working together on how we could bring her vision to life.
Pre-lockdown we were having regular face to face design meetings and right when lockdown hit we were supposed to shoot our campaign.
We had a clear timeline of what needed to be done, the hardest thing was not knowing when lockdown would end. So many tentative plans!
Being party shoes, the collection needed to launch when people were out and about.
With the restrictions easing it is the perfect time to pop on a new pair of party shoes to catch up with friends.
We really couldn't have asked for a better outcome.
Why did you want to collaborate together?
Nadia: I was one of Lisa's first customers at LMS.
We have some mutual friends and I had been following along since the inception of her brand.
LMS is a strong Aussie brand with a young female lead - why wouldn't I want to collaborate should be the question!
I think it's great to connect and get behind our incredibly talented local designers.
I truly believe we align well - LMS creates statement footwear that I would wear any day of the week, it was a delight to be able to add a sprinkle of my magic to her already winning recipe.
Lisa: Nadia has been a friend of the brand since the very beginning and always supported us so a design collaboration felt like the natural next step.
When we thought of who we would like to collaborate with Nadia instantly came to mind.
She embodies the essence of the LMS brand with her confident, flirty and fun style. She also really resonates with our customers and their interests.
It's been such an incredible journey - not only do we feel like we've created an amazing collection together but also a lasting friendship.
How will this be communicated to customers? Which channels are most effective for LMS?
Lisa: It will be a 360 digital launch however, Instagram is definitely LMS' focus channel.
It is a really tight community where we chat to our customers about anything and everything via DM regularly - some of our VIP customers even had a sneak peak of the collection before it launched!
To get our community excited and hyped for the launch our own channel Instagram roll out plan worked in phases.
From guessing who the collaboration was with, announcing Nadia Fairfax to releasing imagery of the product for customers plan their buy all in the lead up to launch day.
The hype wasn't just across LMS's channels. It is all about cross promotion.
When Nadia first announced a sneak peak of the collection our followers grew by 20%.
Nadia and her circle of friends have been extremely supportive in sharing the collaboration.