Batsheva Hay and Ella Emhoff discuss their collaboration and what's next.
Batsheva x Ella Emhoff Is Here!
Don’t be surprised if you can’t immediately recognize the two women in this image. Concealing Batsheva Hay and Ella Emhoff’s identities is sort of the point of the Alexei Hay-photographed shoot announcing the pair’s knitwear collab. “A little bit of the fun of it was to mute ourselves because we are so known for a specific look, and so it’s good to have a red lip, a bob, and some real anonymity,” says Batsheva on a group Zoom call. The commonalities between the designer and Emhoff don’t end at their instantly identifiable looks. Both came into fashion design sideways—Hay was previously a lawyer and Emhoff studies fine art and textiles at Parsons.
“I think we had a lot more similarities [than we realized], and it made this process so seamless,” Emhoff picks up. “A lot of our personal design preferences are aligned. Having the bright colors I love mixed with her traditional silhouettes; it was kind of the perfect melding of styles.”
Photographed by Alexei Hay
Photographed by Alexei Hay
To launch the collaboration, Hay and Emhoff worked primarily over email, text message, and Zoom, meeting up just once for fittings. “There is a certain flexibility that we both have and a certain intuitive way of doing things that makes it easy,” says Hay, with Emhoff adding, “There’s not a real plan, it’s just intuition. It was really nice to work with someone else who works like that because it can be seen as an unorganized aspect, but it’s not. It just happens so stress-free.”
After working on the project for a couple of months, the pair decided to keep the initial collaboration concise, offering just three pieces available for pre-order. A pastel crocheted vest will sell for $250, a ruffle-trimmed corset at $280, and a kaleidoscopic bag at $150. Everything is made-to-order locally in New York with an emphasis on reducing waste. In a previous era, the pair might have hosted knitting circles and hangouts to produce the collection, but for now, their band of knitters will be working safely from home or in studios.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Steff Yotka
