It's totally worth all the stairs to run up here in the morning, before all of the tourists are out, and take in this view. Happy to be back in Florence! 

 It's been fun working on the collection - can't wait to see the 'fruits of our labour!' 

Summer 2015 is all about the espadrille, and to deliver the best quality, value and craftsmanship, I worked with one of the best Spanish supplier of espadrilles.

I was lucky enough to meet this family run factory at Micam in Milan earlier in the year. The sisters who manage the business have a huge passion for their profession, and as it turned out, they even produced espadrilles for Country Road over 15 years ago!

The traditional craftsmanship, attention to detail and love of their product is impressive. It's no wonder they produce for some of the biggest designer brands, including Rag & Bone and Kenzo. 

This is the culmination of our collaboration. I hope you enjoy!  

What else is Agra known for other than the Taj Mahal? Footwear of course! 

This is the Red Fort on the drive in, and the Taj from my room window. 

I was back in California visiting family for the holidays, and after a trip to Venice Beach, I decided we needed to remake our range-room in the image of a classic Venice Beach Cottage. We created white-washed siding for the backdrop, and brought in plants and hanging pendant lights all to set the mood. 

Below is the presentation wall, with an iconic image of a VW Kombi.

Our VM team took inspiration from my presentation, and turned our flagship store into classic California, complete with a real VM Kombi in-store! 

I have finally gotten back to painting, after a long break. I think my minimal obsession, and my background in Architecture are both showing up a bit in this composition! The final piece will highlight the handmade paper edges with a floating mount. I'll post an update once it's finished and framed. 

The final piece framed!

The Cycle Shop at our flagship Country Road store in Melbourne, Australia was conceived on a trip to Paris. The head of men's apparel and I both share a love of unique bicycle design, and a conversation about my old vintage Bianchi Pista sparked the cycle shop. 

For this concept, we partnered with Tokyo Bikes, and created a site-specific installation which housed a special accessories edit specifically for the concept. The bikes and helmuts were available to order on location. Our VM team seamlessly delivered our concept to store, whcih resulted in double-digit sale increase for this location along with great media and press. 

It great union of Accessories, Apparel, VM and a strong store concept! 

I stopped by one of our key jewelry factories in Southern China, to better understand their capabilities and how we can better design into this factory. They took me through all of their processes and mechanisms, which were fantastic to see. Here you see everything from the 3D printed wax models, to the rubber moulds, the casting and the castings, the finishing and polishing and finally the enamel application. They really do amazing, intricate and beautiful work! 

A great effort from the team this year - Havana Knights!' 

Here you see my hand-sketches, and the non-woven mock-ups before we proceed to the first prototypes. Trims, materials, patterns, etc. are all being developed and reviewed at this stage, before we proceed to cut in leather. 

I can't help but try and squeeze in a little tourism, even if it's late at night after work. 

We won - Second year in a row that the Accessories team has won 'best dressed' for our interpretation of the  theme. Here is our take on the 'Superheroes' theme... Zombie Superheroes!

These are shots of the Trenery 'Clean-tip Group' In production in India. It's always nice to be visiting on a development trip to work on the new season, while also getting to see production of your current seasons work. 

South India has a long, strong history of producing exceptional leather-goods. This factories meticulous attention to detail, and strong craftsmanship has made them one of the best in the region. It's a pleasure to work here... they even get excited when I challenge how a bag can be put together - they're always excited to teach and learn! 

Here I am working in the sample room correcting the first prototypes with the sample-makers. These skilled craftsman interpret my sketches into a mock-up, which I correct with them on-site. They then make pattern corrections to my specification, and then cut the first prototype in leather (incorrect colours). 

These are images from the sample-room where they are correcting the first prototypes, and getting ready to make the second prototype. 

On location in our handbag factory in Southern India. Here I'm working with the sample maker to interpret my sketch in the first prototype for the Country Road 'Tassel Saddlebag.' 

I was delighted to com across this massive installation at 10 Corso Como in Seoul! 

I found this little espadrille shop that looks like it's been here since the dawn of time. The benches actually look more like they belong in a Church. How amazing...  

Fabulous 6AM stop before heading into the factory...