There is a particular kind of alchemy that happens when a morning is allowed to unfold slowly. Amazing what an abundance of freshly baked pastries, velvety cappuccinos and rich surroundings can do to fuel creativity and collaboration.

Left Kate wear Harper Dress in Charcoal, Tamsyn wears The Frida Dress. Right, Lizzy wears The Alba Shirt in Ivory.

This week, our team traded the familiar hum of the studio for the softer rhythms of La Follia Café. Recently refreshed, the space feels at once modern and timeless — terrazzo floors underfoot, light pooling across polished tables, the easy chatter of regulars mingling with the aroma of ground coffee. It was, we realised, the perfect backdrop for a working brunch: part planning meeting, part indulgence, part reminder of why environment matters.

Around the table, notebooks and cornetti jostled for space. Between sips of coffee we slipped into the new collection — coats shrugged on against the morning air, knitwear layered and relayered, dresses catching the light through tall café windows. Worn in this way, the clothes came alive: not staged or posed, but simply lived in, tested against the flow of conversation and the clink of cups.

Brunch has always been a curious invention — neither breakfast nor lunch, but something that insists on its own pace. It speaks of leisure, of the small luxury of time, of allowing appetite and conversation to stretch. Perhaps that is why it felt like such a fitting metaphor for the season ahead: a balance between comfort and elegance, indulgence and purpose.

Left, Lizzy wearing our new Alba shirt in Ivory. Right, The beautiful china on display at La Follia. Photos by Pascal Vossen

The food helped, of course. Pistachio cornetti, glossy and irresistible, were shared and then ordered again. Plates lingered as conversation wound its way from strategy to stories, from the future of the collection to memories of travel, gardens, and the places that inspire us most. The morning became more than a meeting. It became a reminder that ideas, like friendships, are often best nurtured in moments of ease.

At its heart, fashion is not only about clothes. It is about atmosphere, ritual, and the company we keep. Just as a table dressed with flowers and ceramics transforms a meal into a memory, so too do the right details in a wardrobe transform an ordinary day into something to savour.

Left, The morning light pouring into La Follia. Right, Belinda wearing the puff sleeve shirt in white and the classic pinafore in navy.

La Follia is, to us, more than a café. It is a reminder that style thrives beyond the studio and the runway — in the in-between moments, in the layering of everyday rituals, in the companionship of a shared table. If you haven’t yet ventured there, it is worth every detour. Sometimes the most lasting impressions are made not in grand settings, but in the quiet elegance of mornings like these.

Tamsyn wearing the Frida Dress. Kate Barton Autumn Winter Campaign 2025. Photo by Pascal Vossen

With thanks to La Follia for hosting our team brunch

Location: La Follia

Photographer: Pascal Vossen