DAHER X JULIA HILL | A Mother-Daugher {In-Law} Collaboration

Looking back on my big move from California to New York, I can see clearly why every fibre of my being was being pulled by some mysterious force to this wild, bigger-than-life city. Everyone I encountered, every struggle, and every hardship New York inevitably serves all its newcomers have led me to some of the most fascinating, profound experiences.

One of the most epic, serendipitous meeting of souls happened the day I met Julia Hill, my mother-in-law. I had never met any woman quite like her before. She had me instantly swooning over her hilarious, quirky and wise philosophical Julia-isms spoken in her thick German accent. We were like two magnets, naturally attracted to each other by our mutual fashion design backgrounds, our love for rare vintage fabrics, our fascination with Japanese culture, our habit of rescuing old junk from the streets and giving them a new life - you know, that undeniable, indescribable spark of quantum entanglement.

We quickly formed a deep friendship and started to spend a lot of time together in her enchanting 1970’s SoHo artist loft. A space so otherworldly and mystical, brimming with a lifetime’s collection of rare, strange and beautiful things. Stepping inside this true artist’s loft, one is instantly transported back in time and into Julia’s ethereal, unique mind. She opened her normally private studio space to me, and we passed the days working on our own projects while listening to music or novels on tape - me at the sewing machine, her at the silk painting stretcher. Soon, we began brainstorming designs together and sharing materials, each inspiring the other to explore new techniques, color stories, and textiles.

Thus, this collaboration was born out of the natural blossoming of our beautiful friendship. It is a mesh of our varying knowledge and skills together with our infatuation with nature, polarity and just the right amount of disorder to leave a little room for surprisingly whimsical mistakes to happen.

We are busily working on hand-dyeing and painting silk panels to be sewn into one of a kind, divine gowns, caped dresses, kimono dusters, and other fresh, eccentric pieces. Follow @daherlabel for collection development and studio updates and stay tuned for the announcement of our launch date! Check out Julia's past works and read more about her here.