MODA Designer Profile: Louis Levin and Cecilia Sheppard

Louis and Cecilia are co-editors-in-chief of MODA Magazine. They’re both third years in the college - Louis is majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities and Cecilia is majoring in Art History.

What are some sources of inspiration for your collection?

Our collection originated with our fabrics. Coming into this year, we were inspired by two - sheer and jacquard. We wanted pieces that were ambivalent. Clothes that teetered on the edge - bold and subdued, revealing and conservative, masculine and feminine. A lot of that direction comes from our own sense of style. One of the many reasons we wanted to work together is that we both have quite distinct vibes. We thought we could challenge and encourage one another in a way that would lead to a collection we felt proud of - we’ll see how it looks on Friday!

Have you ever done fashion design work before? What are some of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the process?

We’ve both worked for fashion houses in different ways before, and Louis was in the designer bootcamp last year, but this process has certainly been a jump in the deep end. Five outfits is a lot, and fitting everything in has been difficult - we’ve probably spent half of our waking hours together since the start of the year! Part of what’s taken so long - and been particularly challenging - is tailoring. Our motto has been that we’re not willing to settle, but that’s meant we’ve had to fit each piece four or even five times (thank goodness for the endless patience of our models). Making sure that the outfits are clearly sculpted to each model feels important to us. But the time commitment that’s taken has certainly been rewarding too. Each of our final fittings has brought with it a sense of pride (and relief) that makes it all worth it.

“We thought we could challenge and encourage one another in a way that would lead to a collection we felt proud of.”

What are you looking forward to most about the show?  

Seeing everything come together! We’ve worked on each piece one by one, and it means that we haven’t had the chance to see them all in one room. We cared a lot about making the collection feel cohesive, and we haven’t yet been able to see how that’s paid off. So, that’s all to say we’re both very much looking forward to seeing all five pieces  together and in full.

Who do you have in mind when you’re designing?  

Bold. We imagine men and women who wear confidence on their sleeves. Like our collection, they’re full of contradictions - in the best way. They are subtle, overstated, masculine, feminine, proud and self-conscious. They’re fierce, and they use clothing as a tool and a weapon. Their outfits don’t give them power–they’re full of it already–but instead accentuate and express it.

If you could give yourself any advice on the design process, what would you say to your younger self?

Breathe! When we love something, we both dive in headfirst. We would remind ourselves to pause and take it all in, to truly relish in it. At the same time, we’d also trust in our abilities a little more - the pieces that have been the easiest for us have actually been the ones where we’ve thought the least about the pinning and the patterns and the darts, and instead just gone for it.

What’s your favorite aspect of the design process?

That’s easy - working together. As we have noted, we’ve spent an awful lot of time together the past few months. In those many hours, we’ve learned so much from, and about, one another. In each other we have found not just a peer and a partner, but a lifelong friend too. We hoped we’d challenge the way we think about fashion, but instead we’ve changed the way we each see the world. And we’ve had a load of fun along the way.