Moved...

We have updated the ILoveLoFff site recently, and my blogging activities have moved to there.
In case  you want to read the latest updates, please go to www.ilovelofff.com and select the 'Designers Blog'.

Hope to see you there!

Kind regards
Jo.

The story of Sterre

As you have probably noticed, most LoFff models are with us for a long, long time.
I do not like professional models, so we search in our close surroundings for girls that are true and proper LoFffely. And - they all work for LoFff only.

Whenever we come together for a fotoshoot, they are all giggly and happy to see eachother again. Some go to the same school and see eachother frequently, others only meet during the fotoshoots. But they are always the best of friends... And one of them always brings a toy, or a stuffed animal, which right there and then becomes everyones favourite and most sought after object of the day... Leading to very amusing situations.
And I really enjoy including these in the photo's. Like here.

In the last years, I have experimented with various professional photographers. And though their pics were technically far better and more professional, they hardly ever exuded the atmosphere that to me is so essential in presenting my collection. Which is why I started taking the pics again from the S11 collection onwards.

What I try to show is not so much the collection, but more beauty of these girls in the way they play, walk, hold their hands, their posture, their smiles, their deep concentration when completely focussed on something. Like here, where Doutsen is counting the number of crystals hanging from my kitchen lamp.

 

And that is why they hardly ever pose, but they play. And when they play together you mostly get the best results. But I also talk to them while I take the pictures, we have good conversations, we joke, they run, I run after them.... and I so enjoy that.

And the other good thing about working with the same models year after year is that you can enjoy seeing them grow up. And Sterre has been the longest ever LoFff model. When she came to me for the first time, she was not even 4 years old. A very shy little girl, but once she got used to me being around her, a very sweet and playful girl. This is what she looked like then. And her name - which does mean little star - was so fitting to this girl.

W2006-07

So very serious and sweet. But I saw her grow up, and every half year or so when we met, I saw the changes. She became more outgoing, more secure, was laughing more, talking more - and she thoroughly enjoyed the times we had together. This is how she developed over the years.

W2006-07

S2007 - East meets West

W2007-08 Frozen Fruit and Wild Animals

S2008 - Nature Calling, Stars Falling

W2008 ''my feet want to dance" collection

W2008 ''my feet want to dance" collection

S2009 Magic collection

W2009 Arctica collection

S2010 Good Food collection

W2010 - Maria Fjodorovna collection

S2011 - Africa collection

W2011 - Corners and Curves collection

S2012 - Below the surface of the ocean

W2012 - on finding happiness

And now she is almost 10 years old, and the day that she cannot fit into the LoFff samples any more is coming closer. Every season now I think it will be the last one we do together - but that is OK too.
It is like raising kids - there comes a time when you have to let them go, where they start their own adventures. And that is a good thing. Because you have loved them, helped them and enjoyed them on their way to that indepedence. 

And the winner is.....

Phew, this season is flying past. Time goes so very, very quickly when you are busy...
And we have been busy. The presentation of the Winter 2012-13 collection, the fairs, the sales season, the deliveries of our new summer collection into the shops from January on (and two trips to India inbetween as well..)

So it took a while to set up the meeting with the two winners of our design contest of the Winter 11-12 collection. But last week the day was finally there.
We had asked all LoFff girls to make a design for a new collection of ours, and we have been picking monthly winners since september 2011, but in january we needed to choose the overall winner of this contest. And there were two designs which really stood out from the rest - by two girls, called Madelief and Yfke.

These were their designs.

And since one of the beauties of setting up a contest is that you can make your own rules, we decided to declare them both as the winner of this contest. So they came to our offices for a day, to be official assistant designers to the designer of LoFff (in other words: me...)

At first they were a little bit nervous, but as soon as the serious work started and the papers, pencils and colours came out, they began to work on their task with full concentration. They were asked to make a design that could be used as a print or an applique on a shirt and skirt for the Summer 2013 collection. And this is what it looked like when we were at work.

After the drawings were finished, they were decorated with sequins, glitters and tape... and then they looked even more beautiful. We then discussed how to place these on a shirt, and what kind of shirt this should be. And also ofcourse the matching skirt... And since both these girls were really typical LoFff girls, they both loved so-called pancake skirts. You know... when you turn and swirl your skirt looks like a big flat pancake? So that is what it is going to be...

Then the hard work part was over, and we had some good lunch, after which Yfke and Madelief were invited to select their favourite outfit from the current summer collection. And what do you think they selected? Right. Something that swirls and stands out like a pancake...

So we had two very happy and very lively girls in the office, that danced and jumped. When they had calmed down a little we sat down for an official 'photo-moment' - it is not every day that you win the main prize in a design contest, and you need some proof for the future (and a pic to show to your schoolfriends ofcourse..)

So here it is. The official picture of the winners of the LoFff design contest - Madelief and Yfke!

(and I got an e-mail from both their mothers the day after, that they had a really hard time to talk their girls out of their LoFff outfits when they had to go to bed... and that is a story we have heard many times before. But every time I hear it again, it makes me happy..)