Dear,
I just sat down at a small café on a side street because it started raining outside, and I thought this was the right moment to tell you about my experiences here, as promised.
By now, I’m certain that leaving was the right decision. All of a sudden, I feel alive again. I’m walking through the streets and taking in so many different smells that I can’t quite place yet. Children are singing songs on the street that I’ve never heard before, and it’s already happened several times that I’ve gotten lost in the middle of these seemingly endless alleys. But this sense of the unknown fills me with wonder. I feel like I have infinite possibilities, and I realize right now, as I’m writing this letter to you, that I’m already getting excited about finally going outside again and continuing my exploration.
I’m glad you convinced me that we should keep in touch through letters. I’ve come to realize how important it is to always keep you and my past close to me, because it constantly reminds me of the goal I had in mind when I decided to come here.
I promise to write to you again soon.
Sincerely,
AUDREY:
We’ve always been attracted to brands that have a real universe, a strong identity, and something honest to say. That’s exactly what we found in Venia.
More than just presenting a collection, we wanted to create a moment together: something simple, intimate, and real, where people could understand a little more about the world behind the brand.
We’re very grateful to share this moment with you, Christine and Keeter. We hope you enjoy talking about the collection and the story behind it as much as we’ve enjoyed this collaboration.
To start, I’d love you to briefly introduce yourselves, share your story, and tell us about Venia as a brand.
CHRISTINE:
Thanks for having us, Audrey. I’m Christine, and this is Keeter. We’re the founders of Venia, based in LA.
Venia means grace in ancient Latin, and this season we’re presenting our SS27 collection, Dear Sincerely. It’s a story about people leaving things behind and finding new futures as they travel long distances, carrying a bit of themselves with them.
Venia is a brand built around the hero’s journey. We often talk about people being pulled into an adventure, into a fantasy they may not have chosen, but where a call to action drives them forward.
Through this process and this journey, they learn more about themselves and the world, and come back changed.
AUDREY:
Venia translates to “grace”, and the whole concept revolves around giving a platform to the overlooked. How does this philosophy show up in your new collection, and why is this topic so close to your hearts?
CHRISTINE:
This collection, is inspired by the last goodbye and the first hello. With this collection, we wanted to create a convergence point where people from different backgrounds and all walks of life come together and meet. The story is told in five chapters.
It starts with arrival, then moves through adaptation, memory, integration, and departure. It’s almost like a psychological journey that you go through every time you arrive somewhere and leave somewhere else.
There’s a lot of travel, movement, and migration. These were all important sources of inspiration when we were creating the collection.
It also comes from our own identities. Growing up between different cultures, and through our work and careers, we’ve interacted with so many different types of people. I think this collection was a way for us to communicate what it feels like when everyone comes together.
AUDREY:
What is the ultimate goal or mission you want to achieve with Venia?
KEETER:
With Venia, we want to challenge people to think differently. I think it’s really important to have new experiences, especially today, when everything is moving so fast with technology and social media.
Having a unique experience that makes people slow down, think, and really process what they’re going through is incredibly important. Through Venia, beyond the clothing itself, we want to build a world where people can live that experience, slow down, and really take it in.
AUDREY:
What inspired you to write this love letter through fashion at this particular moment in time, and who is it addressed to?
CHRISTINE:
It’s really addressed to everyone. We created this collection in response to how we’ve been feeling over the past few years. It was very much inspired by the way people communicate and how they’ve been feeling. I think there’s a general sense of fatigue with so many things.
This collection means a lot to us because we really wanted to show what happens when all these different elements come together, and the beauty that can emerge from that. Whether it’s an asymmetrical cut from one style, the way a jacket wraps around the body in a way inspired by another culture, or a combination of different elements, there’s beauty in creating this kind of fantasy.
That’s what we wanted to showcase, and it became a major focus of the collection.
KEETER:
The story is really personal to me. When we started developing this collection and thinking about what the story could be, I thought a lot about my parents, how they immigrated, what their lives were like, and what it was like growing up in the US.
There’s this duality between where your culture comes from and the place where you’re adapting. I think many people can relate to the experience of moving from one place to another and reflecting on who they are as a person: their current identity, their past identity, and who they are in relation to their culture.
We wanted to express that through our work.
AUDREY:
Can you tell me a little more about the collection, especially the story behind the print that keeps appearing throughout it? More generally, what factors do you prioritise when selecting materials, and why did you choose this specific print for the key pieces of the collection?
CHRISTINE:
This print is really the manifestation of the entire story. We call it the Wanderer’s Print. It’s meant to evoke the feeling of arriving in a different country where you don’t really know the language. You can recognise that the words move up and down or from left to right, but you can’t actually read them.
Within that chaos, there’s almost a sense of familiarity: the feeling that other people might be experiencing the same thing as they move through life and travel to different places. That was a key part of the idea, and it was a lot of fun to develop.
We collected imagery from vintage postcards, magazines, and old newspapers from around the world, featuring different languages. We then used AI to create the print, drawing on the feeling of peeling wallpaper, letters that had been sent, and a sense of nostalgia mixed with a fantasy of the future. That’s really what the print was about.
Another colour we worked on extensively is called oxblood. For us, it’s not just about the colour itself, but also about the idea of oxidising blood.
It’s really about our humanity on the inside. As blood dries, dark spots begin to appear, creating this wonderful texture that we’ve really enjoyed working with.
KEETER:
Going back to the print, I think it was important for us to bring together all these different references, from postcards to other printed materials. But we also wanted to scramble the letters.
You can’t actually read them, regardless of whether they’re in a language you recognise. The print should feel slightly unfamiliar, but also familiar at the same time.
When you move to a new place for the first time, you have different points of reference: things you’ve seen before or cultures you’re familiar with. But everything can feel a little unclear as you begin to adjust to your new surroundings.
CHRISTINE:
I think a lot of the collection was also inspired by that feeling of curiosity, but also comfort. Something can feel very familiar while remaining difficult to understand at the same time.
In a way, that’s what makes us human. It’s part of what we all go through. Life is an endless cycle of hellos and goodbyes.
As you move through different stages of your life and travel to different places, this cycle keeps repeating itself. And your clothes are what you carry with you.
The garments are almost a physical representation of that journey. As you move through these experiences, what you wear becomes part of how you represent yourself when you first arrive somewhere. That’s a very important part of the collection, too.
When it comes to fabrics, we used only natural materials. It was very important for us to work with natural fibres. The fabric used for both prints is a blend of viscose and cotton, and it also involves a new technology.
The fabric is digitally printed on both sides simultaneously. So, while we’re always inspired by history, we’re also constantly looking towards the future and exploring futuristic technologies to help bridge that gap.
We believe the past and the future create the present. The question is how to create a present that incorporates all these different elements. I think that’s why parts of the collection have these heritage-inspired details while remaining very modern and elegant.
KEETER:
One of the key emotional feelings we wanted to create was a sense of bittersweet nostalgia: a moment of reflection on things you know, and perhaps things you don’t fully understand. There’s something sweet about it, but also something sad, as you look back on the journey you’ve taken.
AUDREY:
In terms of silhouettes and cuts, how do the garments reflect that sense of movement and journey?
KEETER:
For this collection, we focused on Eastern and Western elements and how these worlds come together, because the story centres on people travelling from place to place. We wanted to pay homage to the different places they come from.
For example, one of the vests in the collection features a traditional Western lapel on one side and an Eastern-inspired kimono sash on the other, wrapping everything together. At Venia, we focus a lot on asymmetrical cuts and on creating a sense of duality and balance between contrasting elements.
This collection was the perfect opportunity to bring Eastern and Western influences together. Another example is a woven fabric from Japan, sourced from a mill that has been operating for 100 years and uses a very traditional weaving technique.
We took this material, rooted in Eastern craftsmanship, and combined it with a Western silhouette: a coat with a more pronounced peak lapel, made from this Japanese-milled fabric.
CHRISTINE:
Then, of course, there are some of Venia’s signature elements. One of the cuts featured prominently in the collection is our Helix Wrap.
It’s a very special pattern-cutting technique in which the back panels wrap towards the front. Instead of creating rigid lines along the sides of the body, the garment feels almost like a hug.
The fabric wraps around the body and shapes it beautifully. It also allows the clothes to accommodate different body shapes very well.
Something that’s always been important to us is self-representation. But the self isn’t just one thing: there are many different selves and many different kinds of people who should be able to find their place in our clothes.
We explore this through techniques such as removing darts or seams, or twisting elements in unexpected ways. The result challenges traditional ways of looking at and experiencing a garment. This approach is featured throughout the collection.
Of course, we’ve also brought back some of our favourite elements, such as asymmetrical hems and the Antigone skirts, alongside new bodysuits, blazers, and fabrications.
It’s a mixture of the old and the new.
KEETER:
I want to talk about the Helix cut for a moment, because I think it’s important to highlight what makes it so special. It comes from a very simple idea: human beings aren’t two-dimensional.
We’re not flat. So when we look at clothes, shapes, and silhouettes on the body, they shouldn’t feel flat either.
When we design something like the Helix cut, we want it to be seen from every angle and to look good from every angle, because the body is three-dimensional. It has form, shape, and different ways of being composed.
We designed the Helix cut to wrap around the body in a way that’s flattering and looks good from all angles.
AUDREY:
Is there a specific piece or detail in the collection that was particularly difficult to bring to life? What made it challenging?
CHRISTINE:
We’re working with a lot of cultural influences, so it’s important to be sensitive about how we bring different cultures together and to make sure we’re interpreting them rather than simply adapting them.
KEETER:
While also paying homage to the cultures themselves and their heritage.
CHRISTINE:
Exactly. Being sensitive to what these elements represent was something we had to keep in mind throughout the entire process. We didn’t want to appropriate anything, so we had to consider which elements felt right to combine and which didn’t.
Sometimes, the references aren’t particularly visual but are expressed through shapes and silhouettes. We found a little more freedom in that approach because, of course, a triangle is a triangle in one culture and a triangle in another. These elements are a little more malleable.
When it came to prints, however, we created everything ourselves to make sure it truly represented the overall feeling of the collection.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of developing this collection, despite the challenges, was trying to bring together all these different cultures.
What’s wonderful is that we live in LA, where we’re surrounded by so many different people. As we developed the collection, we had conversations with many members of our community. We asked them what was important to them and what they remembered.
As we listened to their feedback, their stories gradually found their way into the collection. Someone might be from Dubai, China, Argentina, or Canada, and everyone has different experiences. We wanted to gather these stories and bring them together in a collection that felt cohesive.
That was a major challenge, but I think one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about this collection is seeing how people we’ve met around the world have felt connected to it in some way. That’s been really beautiful to see.
KEETER:
As a brand, we draw inspiration from many different cultures and pay homage to people from around the world and throughout history.
What’s important to us is that these remain references and sources of inspiration. We never directly reproduce the silhouettes or cuts from a particular era, because innovation is central to our approach.
When it comes to pattern cutting, we develop our own interpretations. The results are entirely new in their own way, rather than following exactly how things were done in the past.
AUDREY:
Who do you see wearing these pieces, and what feelings or emotions do you hope people experience when wearing Venia?
CHRISTINE:
A sense of adventure and curiosity. Those are the things that inspire us, and that’s what we hope people experience, too.
When someone puts on a piece and feels curious, or their face lights up immediately, that’s the aha moment for us.
It’s also about helping people feel more comfortable being themselves. There are many shapes and silhouettes that people tend to avoid.
Because we’re so specific about our pattern cutting, someone might come across our Heathcliff pants, for example. They look like harem pants, but they’re not actually cut like harem pants. A lot of men say, “Oh no, I can’t wear drop-crotch pants.”
But then they try these on, and suddenly they become their favourite trousers.
Those are the moments we love: when the ideas behind the clothes encourage people to be a little more adventurous with themselves. And then it becomes a snowball effect.
KEETER:
As Christine mentioned, Venia means grace in ancient Latin, so we want our approach to design to reflect that.
The clothes might feel unexpected when you first put them on. For our customers, it’s about being willing and open to trying new things, because you might discover something new about yourself in the process.
AUDREY:
Your work invites people to pause and reflect. What’s one small habit or detail you wish people would slow down and appreciate more?
CHRISTINE:
Other people. We all share the same space, but we’re all so different. And that, in itself, is beautiful.
We want to encourage people to engage with life and experience it with a sense of openness.
Some of the best things we’ve created have come from this way of thinking. Especially as the world changes so quickly, I think it’s important to remember why we do what we do.
It’s what makes the world we live in and the food we eat so vibrant. And, once again, clothes are a vehicle.
They’re how you present yourself as you move from place to place, but you are the story. Between the last goodbye and the first hello, there’s a story.
That’s what this collection is meant to represent: yourself, expressed in the way you want to show up in the world.
KEETER:
I think it’s about appreciation. Slowing down to appreciate where you’ve come from, where you are now, and what it means to be present in a place, whether you’re in the city, in nature, or somewhere else in the world.
Appreciate what you’re wearing, too. Just slow down and appreciate each moment as it comes.
CHRISTINE:
I also really want to give you, Audrey and Garry, a shout-out and thank you for being so welcoming and for inviting us back to present internationally. I think that’s really important.
We talk all the time about communication, collaboration, and the importance of being open and excited to share what we’re doing with other people.
One of the most powerful things for us was finding a partner who felt the same way. It’s been such a pleasure working with you because we’re on the same wavelength.
That, in itself, has been meaningful. We’ve seen the impact on people here in Paris and on those visiting the city.
It’s wonderful when moments like this happen: you set an intention, you put it out into the world, and then you feel it coming back to you. It gives you that warm feeling of, “Yes, this is what we’re supposed to do.”
KEETER:
I think it’s that sense of community that we always love. Celebrating with Venia made sense because L’ABBEYE also has an amazing community, so it felt like a natural collaboration.
Even with the world we wanted to build in Paris for this experience, you completely understood what we were trying to achieve.
CHRISTINE:
When we created the fashion show in LA, our team was incredibly diverse. Everyone came from different places.
One thing we did during the show was ask the entire team to say their hellos and goodbyes in their native languages. I remember how powerful it was for people to hear something familiar in a place that otherwise felt unfamiliar.
I think that’s what you gave us, too. You made us feel that sense of familiarity when we thought, “Oh, we’re back here.”
Everything was new, and Paris had changed. We had no idea what to expect. But walking into this environment that you’d carefully created made everything feel right and connected.
It was as if we were thinking, “Yes, this is the story.”
This is Dear Sincerely, and this is a Dear Sincerely moment.
AUDREY:
Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us. Garry and I are also incredibly grateful to be able to do this with you.
For us, it’s important to showcase craftsmanship, talent, and the quality of the clothes, while also remaining open to the future, to technology, and to new ways of working. It’s about showing what we can achieve together.
I think Venia is a great example of how to showcase true craftsmanship while remaining open to technology and the future.
In that sense, even though we might seem to have little in common at first, with you coming from LA and us from Paris, we share a similar vision of what we like and how we want to move forward.
There are also a lot of clichés in the avant-garde space, where technology is seen as something negative, or as something that can’t be embraced.
But for us, and for you, it’s all about sharing: sharing our story, sharing the story of your brand, and sharing it together.
That’s what we’ve been trying to achieve, first through our collaboration and then through the communities we each bring together.
As you were saying, community is essential to both of us. L’abbeye is a media platform, of course, but it’s also a community of people who come together to learn, discover, and meet others in one place.
That’s what we wanted to create, too, and I think we achieved that during the event.
KEETER:
A little too well.
AUDREY:
Yes, a little too well, because there were quite a few people here!
But that’s the beauty of it: bringing together people who might not normally be invited to a showroom party, or who might not usually have the door opened to them.
It’s about inviting them into your world and into L’abbeye’s world, and bringing everyone together.
Even though people arrived with different groups of friends, they ended up staying together, talking, and sharing. They were all really interesting people.
There were photographers and other creatives who have so much to offer but aren’t always included. I think that was the purpose of our collaboration: to include everyone in your journey and your story.
We’re all from different backgrounds, countries, and cultures, but we’re here for the same reason: to look towards the future together.
CHRISTINE:
Venia means grace, and we’ve always thought of ourselves as a graceful rebellion.
That rebellion is also reflected in the communities we represent, the people we reach out to, and our desire to keep things open.
I think that’s incredibly important. So much of the world makes you feel as though you have to hide behind things, keep things closed, and make everything super private.
But that’s not how we experience the world. When we travel, one of the best things is having someone show you kindness in a place you’re unfamiliar with.
I think that’s one of the beautiful things about being human: taking something that might feel unconventional or unexpected and embracing it in an avant-garde way.
Credits
Venia: @veniacollection
Designers: Christine Ko @christinekoko, Keeter Ly @keeterly
Text & Questions: Maxim Quiring @enfantpauvrehereux