Story



"My mom was born and raised in Vietnam, studied fashion in Paris as a young woman, met my father, fell in love and moved to NYC. She is all things classy, chic and tasteful. She instilled in me a love and respect for beauty and a passion for styles from the past. Her curious eye enables her to see, find, create prints and looks that are stunning, relatable and modern. When I was a child she was forever dressing me and sewing my clothes. I remember her working peacefully at her sewing machine that was always set on a glass table. I would sit under it, clinging to one leg, while she peddled her foot with the other and then I would look up to observe the fabric glide meticulously across and above my head. She would make me beautiful silk patchwork, brocade skirts and jackets from antique Crazy Quilts; add vintage Irish Lace to the collars of my button down shirts; convert Victorian eyelet petticoats into sleeves; and trim my jean skirts with French Toile and fashion them as a ruffle at the bottom. Upcycling wasn’t a word/trend back then. Not only has her personal fashion sense affected me profoundly, but it was at her print studio where I received the training I needed to become the print designer I am today. This time last year, I wanted to thank my mom for all she has given me with a small token of my love and gratitude. She is a self professed “scarf person” and I decided I would design and create one for her with her name on it for Mother's Day. I researched how to have it made and in the process, realized and declared to myself, “I can actually DO this.” This particular print design is in my collection now and the scarf goes by the name, Garden Lace. A labor of love, indeed"
"My parents are the fabric of my life and their influence is so much a part of who I am today as a person. My love for old books and vintage textiles, fabrics and style come from their parental guidance and gentle osmosis. It is with those sound building blocks that I have formed a fashion forward approach to design with a historic sensibility. I understand the influence behind a trend, the story of a silhouette, the subtlety of coloring and the technicality of a weave. After more than a decade of designing prints for other fashion houses, I wish to express my talents and vision in my own voice and thus I created, ELWYN NEW YORK, my first line of luxury scarves."