FASHION
PATRICK CHURCH TAKES US TO A LAND OF MY DREAMS
FEBRUARY 12, 2020
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WORDS
by KRISTOPHER FRASER
PHOTOS
COURTESY
of JOSH CADOGAN
British designer and artist Patrick Church has launched his latest collection titled Land of My Dreams. Church’s latest collection was inspired by Miami and the ‘70s. The designer fell in love with the artificial landscape of Miami, along with the people and their style. He regularly frequents Miami with his husband, so the city has a considerable amount of sentimental value for him.
Church also recently began acquiring vintage 70s pieces, such as crochet jumpsuits and big platforms. “The colors and shapes of that era are super inspiring and flamboyant, and I really wanted to take inspiration from them and try to modernize it in my own way,” he said.
For his latest collection, Church added a size run because he has been listening to the demands of his clients and people have been asking him for an expansion in sizing. It wasn’t the easiest for him at first, because as a small brand production is always an issue. This season he has also taken his leather jackets further, using more colors, making the designs more intricate and adding text. In addition, he has added 7 new designs for underwear, which are one of his favorite products, and he’s also added home goods including pillows and bedding.
Everything produced in the collection was Made in the USA. “I think knowing where your product comes from and its journey is really important,” Church said. “We have a close relationship with our factory in Portugal, but we wanted to start having things made here because it's close to home. I work closely with an amazing garment maker in New York, Nolan Kori. And we wanted all the underwear to be made in the USA this season, that way it felt more on brand.”
Patrick Church Fall/Winter 2019
“I think knowing where your product comes from and its journey is really important.”
–Patrick Church–
In the past, Church stuck to the traditional six months ahead model that has been so longstanding the fashion industry, but this season he’s taken more of a see-now-buy-now approach. He felt with his demographic that is just made more sense to have the collection immediately available.
Just last month, Church had his first pop-up shop in SoHo, which really helped him connect with his customers and learn about what they wanted from the brand. “We really got to see what people liked and wanted,” Church said. “It was so nice to see people try on the product and see how they reacted to it. It was an interesting experience to be connected to our customer in face to face environment.”
Although this is Church’s first foray into home goods, he is waiting to see what does well and how can improve before he officially starts wearing the title of home goods designer. His goal is to eventually be able to offer people a whole environment ranging from his clothes to his art and home goods.
This season the designer is skipping New York Fashion Week, but does plan to return in the future. He felt his new approach just felt right for this season, but we certainly haven’t seen the last of Patrick Church.
