A chat with Apolina founder, Caroline Duckett
Apolina is a much-loved childrenswear brand here at nzweekend. The timeless, nostalgic designs and beautiful craftsmanship mean each piece is heirloom-worthy. We asked founder Caroline Duckett about her new collection, creative process, inspirations, factory and her studio in Saffron Walden…
Can you tell us how you started Apolina?
'I had been working in the women’s fashion industry for about 12 years and was becoming a little disenchanted with the whole system of fashion and particularly the relationships between retailers and the factory teams making the clothing.
After having my first daughter I’d noticed that the market lacked options that really aligned with my personal taste… I was looking for something premium and well made that felt a little nostalgic and bohemian with a little nod to fashion, too. While I was on maternity leave with my younger daughter I’d started dreaming up an ideal wardrobe for her and a casual chat with an old colleague in India resulted in him saying I should start my own brand…
There was definitely no business plan and everything has always been very led by instinct. I think this really works well for me and people responded to the personal, heartfelt nature of what we do.'
What’s your starting point for designing a new collection?
'Generally I’ll start with a moodboard. I’m constantly collecting and saving things that inspire me, scraps of colour, vintage pictures and folk art references… Usually I find this builds into little stories, then I work closely with my partner Martin on defining the mood and colour palette. The prints and colour palette are usually the first thing to get nailed down and then I start sketching!'
What’s the inspiration behind this collection?
'The starting point for AW24 was actually a couple of vintage images I’d saved of Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake in western-style shirts in the 1950s. I am a vintage cinema obsessive and I’d been to the museum of western film history in California the year before so this felt like a natural mood to lean into.'
What are your favourite pieces from your AW24 collection?
'The ultimate favourite for me this season is the Dusty blouse. I just love everything about it… the little retro boxy shape, the tones and the embroidery. It feels really unique and extra special to me.'
'Another favourite is the Mara dress as she's a great example of the mixed prints theme which feels key to the whole collection mood.'
How would you style them?
'I love Dusty with wide trousers, skirts or even a legging. I can also see it looking great over a strappy summer dress in an eclectic layered look. Mara is also very versatile. I love her with a colourful pair of tights but also i'm always a big fan of a shirt dress worn open over casual leggings and a tee.'
I love how timeless Apolina is – I have dresses worn by my eldest daughter that I’m saving for my third. Is there a piece from the Apolina archives that has a special place in your heart?
'I feel like that sense of being timeless and able to pass our pieces down is really important to me. I definitely have a few pieces which pull on my heartstrings more.. generally these are early pieces that I remember my own girls wearing! The Mara dress from this season is one of them actually as we had a version of this dress back in AW20 which my eldest daughter wore a lot at the time. Generally the bonnet feels the most sentimental piece to me, it's such an Apolina signature, I think it was the first sample I ever received and my youngest daughter Bonnie wore them all the time when she was a baby.'
What do your daughters like to wear?
'My eldest, Veda, is 11 and usually she selects the trousers and our unisex shirts from our collections, she definitely has a little more of a tomboy style and she dresses with comfort as her top priority. She also loves to mix her Apolina with pieces from other brands like Bobo Choses and Misha & Puff. My younger daughter Bonnie who's almost 10 is much more precise in her styling, she loves a coordinated look and is almost as obsessive as me about the details. She's always been a dresses girl, but this season she is also really excited about the western shirts.'
I love the closeness of your relationship with your factory in India. Could you share a bit about that and what you like about it?
'I feel so lucky for the relationship we have. Honestly it's one of the things I'm proudest of because there is such respect on both sides and a mutual support. When we encounter a problem we work through it together and it just creates a much stronger and fairer working environment. It's a tight-knit team and we have had the same factory since the very first sample so we've really grown together. Everyone is really proud of what we've achieved and always excited to see what's coming next. I have a group Whatsapp chat with the India team and it's always buzzing with photos of new samples from them or me sending photos behind the scenes at photoshoots as well as photo updates of everyone's kids!'
Do you have any favourite inspiration from your childhood?
'Actually my nana is one of my biggest inspirations. I used to watch her old movies with her as she loved cinema and definitely passed her obsession to me. She also loved to sew and she made clothes for my mum in the 1950s which were then handed down to me as a baby. She was fantastic at smocking and embroidery and I can remember as a young child I used to love running my fingers over the smocking panels of those dresses.'
Tell us about your studio…
'Our studio is about 5 minutes from my village and all the team live within about a two-mile radius of the studio. From the outside it looks like a little woodland cabin in the trees which I love, but inside it's quite bright and airy. It's open plan and just the right size for our studio team of five people. As you'd imagine it's filled with rails of samples, stacks of mood boards and I have a bit of a basket addiction so there are lots of baskets too! Everyone else is fairly tidy – I have to admit my desk is by far the messiest.'
Can you share some local recommendations for where you live?
'We are based in Saffron Walden, which is about 50 minutes up from London Liverpool Street by train and not too far from Cambridge. Saffron Walden itself is a very quaint and historic small market town. We have Audley End House which is a great English Heritage site to visit with kids.
My absolute favourite place to go for breakfast, lunch or dinner is Chater's, which is a cool family-run restaurant with amazing food and a great atmosphere. Generally we are lucky in the town to have quite a strong presence of independents. Dead Time craft beers, Hart Books, Hill St chocolate and Mini Miss Bread for amazing sourdough. Also we are so close to Cambridge which has a beautiful Botanical Gardens and the amazing Kettle's Yard gallery.'
Do you have a favourite snack to eat and music to listen to in your studio?
'Our favourite team treat is carrot cake. It's become a tradition that if we have anything to celebrate in the studio or if it's a particularly busy or stressful week someone always brings carrot cake. Currently on the studio playlist we have a mix of Mac DeMarco, Bill Callahan and Hermanos Gutiérrez as we like to keep quite a calm and laidback mood. I also have a favourite calming song which is always played on repeat on launch day - Seabird by Alessi Brothers.'
What do you like to do outside of Apolina?
'I absolutely love travelling and seeing new places, that's something that definitely drives me and I always find so inspiring. My favourite ways to relax are watching a good film, spending time in my garden or going on hikes with my family.'
What’s on your Christmas wish list, and what are your daughters hoping for?
'I always have my eyes on new ceramic pieces for my home. I love collecting little bud vases and jugs to fill with flowers and foliage from the garden. My girls are both real bookworms so they always have a long wish list of books and we do a lot of crafting and art projects as a family, so I know they'll be hoping to receive some art supplies and crafty things!'
Thanks for chatting with me, Caroline! x
Preview the AW24 collection here, launching on Thursday 26th September 2024.
Still life photography & styling: Fiamma Poltock (@fiamma_poltock)