Lisa Crosswhite, founder of our beloved Gnossem, has come hard out of the blocks in 2015 with the online fashion retailer’s first foray into ‘own brands’, announcing the launch of an eponymous scarf line and dress label, Shikari.
Hosting an intimate launch event yesterday at the funky darling of Jalan Kubor, Symmetry, Gnossem’s top ten customers and hand-picked industry insiders were treated to a sneak preview of the collection.
The line is spearheaded by an utterly beautiful inauguration scarf, inspired by an old Chinese watercolour painting by Lisa’s Grandfather, Xiao Bai Liang. Graphic artist, Xinya Lim – Gnossem’s first ever employee, has expertly breathed new life into the painting by recreating it for the eponymous line, tenderly hand-sketching and hand-colouring to retain the integrity of the original. Asia’s best digital printer was sought out to ensure all the detail was captured sharply on the selected silk twill textile.
The piece is in a class of its own. 100 limited edition scarves were produced and are now available for sale. The brand has no plans to produce according to the seasons but instead create when inspiration hits.
“We are passionate about design that is inspired by independent thought, and crafted by people who love what they do. The idea is to create gorgeous pieces which mean a lot to us,” said Lisa Crosswhite. “We intend to have a bit of fun with this but remain very focused on our core business which is showcasing independent designers from around the world.”
The dress label, Shikari, was dreamt up by the Gnossem team out of a desire for super flattering cuts of high quality silk mixes that are modern, timeless and appealing to the fierce and fabulous Gnossem customer profile. Best part is that the whole collection is priced around S$300 and produced in small quantities so you’re not going to run into a friend at a party wearing the same dress!
Gnossem goes from strength to strength as a local success and export story now carrying over 220 carefully curated labels, with US traffic growth of 130% in Q4 last year. The business will branch into the US this year with a new base in Soho, Manhattan and the appointment of key US advisors including Simon Collins. Seriously people, watch this space.