Thalia Strates Releases Nature Themed 2020 Collection and Lookbook
Cape Town-based accessories brand, Thalia Strates has released a 2020 lookbook showcasing its latest designs of sophisticated functional bags. While staying true to its core value of slow fashion, the bags featured in this collection are an updated version of the brand's classic styles with new and interesting accents and finishes. This season also welcomes the introduction of new smaller accessories that tap into the current mini bag trend.
This year's lookbook is a collection of the designer's revelations that culminated after a long year of burn out. “It took me a while to realize that I could pull away, step away, and regather," says Strates. "I had to remind myself why I started my own business–to have flexibility, to sleep in if I really needed to, to go for a walk, swim in the ocean, read and just dream. To live really. So that’s what I did. And that process (which is still ongoing) led me to re-fall in love with what I do. Instead of saying ‘I should’ or ‘I must’, it began saying ‘I want to’ again. Instead of looking at others and taking on their pursuits and ambitions, I remembered my own.”
For the 2020 lookbook, Thalia Strates takes creative control of the production and goes behind the camera. She pulls inspiration from the roots of her eponymous brand, placing the accessories in a variety of scenic backgrounds that represent the adventure and nature of South Africa. Because this lookbook is an expression of her personal dialogue, Strates coupled the visuals with a poem that evokes a sense of inquisitiveness, as if she were seeing the world for the first time, taking notice of the smallest of creatures that illuminate her part of the world.
The campaign and accompanying stills take the viewer on a journey with the South African model, Robin Jordaan, whose exploration of her surroundings brings forth a rainbow of emotions. Strates desire to evoke emotion in her work stems from a quote by famed poet and author Maya Angelou that states, "I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
View images and the short film from Thalia Strates's 2020 lookbook below and shop select styles from Thalia Strate online now at The Folklore.
Written by Gelina Dames