Be Kind. Be Brave. Be You.

9th September 2021

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I’m so excited to finally be able to share my latest project to date; something I am extremely proud of; introducing my very own line of t-shirts, designed by ME , exclusively for V by Very, available now at Littlewoods Ireland. This has been a passion project for me over the last several months, I have poured my heart and soul into creating this collection, and I am so proud of them. I hope you love them too.

This is a an uplifting edit of everyday t-shirts that you can dress up, dress down and feel amazing in. The perfect cross-season wardrobe update, I have created a t-shirt to suit every style and have stamped my personality on each piece; reminding you to be kind, be brave and most importantly be you! An endlessly wearable style staple and a daily mantra all in one.

When Littlewoods Ireland approached me with this concept of creating and designing my own collection, I jumped at the opportunity. Having had two curated Edits with them in 2020; designing my own line felt like the next step from what we did together last year. I am forever grateful to Littlewoods Ireland, not only for giving me this chance but for believing in me. They are a huge supporter of Irish creatives and of women.

The Design Process

I was given 100% free creative rein to design a capsule collection of t-shirts that were totally me; that represented my style and personality and would lift any wardrobe. I started quite literally with a blank sheet of paper and began plotting out where I could go with this. I knew I wanted an overarching theme to the collection, and my mind kept going back to the concept of joy and positivity. We were in the depths of lockdown at the time and I wanted to bring some joy. From here I began gathering together all my favourite affirmations, mantras and quotes and started jotting down words I wanted my collection to embody; words like; joy, positivity, strength and empowerment. That’s where it all began.

I created moodboard after moodboard, I got lost in it, I just enjoyed the creative process so much, even more than I imagined I would. The excitement of seeing my ideas start to come together was incredible. Once I decided on my positivity theme, it grew wings from there. For a 4 piece capsule line I knew I needed one classic white t-shirt; for me the classic white tee is a wardrobe staple. I also knew I definitely wanted a Breton stripe tee; again, something I always wear and is such an elegant, timeless wardrobe basic. Next up, I wanted a colour tone that was seasonally appropriate, and my personal favourite colour is sage green, and I always love sage green and pink together. Last but not least, for my fourth t-shirt I wanted an injection of vibrant colour, everyone knows I have a long standing love affair with pink, so pink it was for my final tee.

The Styles

After deciding on exact Pantone colours, together with the in-house designers in Littlewoods Ireland, I decided on the shapes and cuts of the 4 t-shirts, there is a style and shape to suit everyone in my range and that was at the forefront of my mind when designing the collection. The sizing also ranges from size 6 to size 24 which is brilliant. When it comes to styles; I decided on:

The classic crew neck shape (The white tee)
Breton with long sleeves for Autumn, I added pink to the neckline here to give a pop of colour and injection of my personality
Boyfriend style; this is similar to the classic crew but slightly looser fit and has rolled sleeves to give it a trendy edge (This is the sage green tee)
Longer length- it was vital for me to include at least one longer length t-shirt (for covering the bum when wearing leggings) This is the bright pink tee

The collection is all really wearable and versatile and the tees can be styled in so many different ways, which was so important to me. They are stunning worn simply with jeans and trainers, but can be layered with with denim jackets, shackets, coats, and worn with everything from joggers and chinos to leggings and midi skirts.

Each t-shirt has a slogan on the front which means something to me.

You Got This

A phrase I use all the time and indeed my online community use. “You Got This” is a term of support and encouragement; it is a way of telling someone you believe in them. No matter how big or small the feat, You Got This is a universally used mantra to inspire confidence and self belief. Shop here

Be You

Be unapologetically you, with all your quirks, just be yourself. This resonates a lot with me and a message I want to pass on to my own three daughters. Shop here

It’s Cool To Be Kind

This is a phrase I have printed and hung in my daughters playroom. In a world where online and social media can be so cruel, it’s a reminder to be kind, always. You truly never know what is going on in someones life so be kind, in your words and in your actions. A simple act of kindness can change the course of someone who might be having a really tough time. Shop here

You Are Enough

This is probably my favourite affirmation of all. And the one I was certain from the very beginning I wanted included. “I am, and always will be, enough”. Shop here

I spent a lot of time working on these inspirational quotes and deciding how we could incorporate them in interesting ways and textures; bringing in colours but also using different printing techniques; I worked hand in hand with the Littlewoods Ireland in-house design team to decide on this and what would work best; we have used flocking, towelling and embroidery detailing.

Your Daily Mantra

As well as using inspirational quotes on each t-shirt, I came up with the idea of a more discreet message that could be printed on each t-shirt, to weave the whole collection together. They all share this same message… ‘Be Kind. Be Brave. Be You’. We played around with the positioning of this message and ultimately decided it should go at the back neckline, if you have long hair or if you are wearing a shirt or a jacket, no one will see this message, but you will; and that is exactly what I wanted.

Sizing, Fabrics and Price

The t-shirts range from size size 6 to size 24. They are made using 100% organic cotton. The prices range from €20 to €24 . I am wearing my usual size in all styles. They are a generous fit, so if you prefer a neater style or you are between sizes, please size down. View the full collection here.

Supporting Women’s Aid

Women’s Aid is a charity that is close to my heart; they do incredibly vital work supporting women in Ireland who are experiencing domestic abuse. 1 in 4 women in Ireland today are experiencing domestic violence of one form or another, this is a staggering statistic and one that grew rapidly through lockdown. I approached Littlewoods Ireland with my charity of choice and they were delighted to support. 10% of the purchase price of my t-shirts will be donated to Women’s Aid. Women’s Aid has been working to stop domestic violence against women and children since 1974. It is a leading support service and their ethos is based on listening to and believing women and giving them the support if and when they need to escape and recover from abuse. Free and confidential help is available 24/7 from Women’s Aid through the National Freephone Helpline 1800 341900 and on www.womensaid.ie

Ways to Wear

Some ideas and inspiration on ways to wear my t-shirts.

Where to Shop

All of my t-shirts are available to buy now on www.littlewoodsireland.ie, plus all the looks featured above are now also available on their website here.

I hope you love the collection,

‘Til next time

Naomi xxx