ELSEWHERE began with our fascination for folklore and the mythical beings that have shaped our earliest understanding of the world. Across cultures, stories have imagined creatures that exist between forms, blurring the boundaries between the human, animal and fantastical. We were drawn to this space between what we know and what we can only imagine. As we developed the collection, this idea evolved into a world of its own, where familiar forms take on an unexpected quality and clothing becomes a way of exploring the extraordinary through the everyday.

Absolutely. As children, we tend to accept the impossible without questioning it. A story, a creature or even something we encounter in nature can become the starting point for an entire imaginary world. With ELSEWHERE, we wanted to return to that instinctive sense of wonder. It allowed us to approach design with a certain freedom, without feeling the need to explain or define everything. It is beautiful to leave room for interpretation, and we wanted the edit to carry that openness while remaining rooted in CORD’s sensibility.

We were interested in the larger visual and emotional language of folklore rather than simply recreating individual characters or stories. Animals, birds and hybrid beings often represent qualities that go beyond their physical forms, whether it is protection, transformation or a connection between different worlds. We wanted to explore these ideas through suggestion rather than direct representation. At CORD, we are always interested in how a reference can evolve through print, silhouette, texture and detail. For ELSEWHERE, this meant allowing the fantastical to emerge through the garments themselves, so that the inspiration feels woven into the collection rather than illustrated on it.

Colour was an important part of establishing the world of the collection. We wanted the palette to feel imaginative and evocative, almost as though it belonged to a landscape that was familiar yet slightly unreal. Nature and folklore both offer an incredible vocabulary of colour, from the organic tones of the natural world to the more unexpected hues we associate with imaginary places and beings. We approached colour as a way of building atmosphere, allowing it to complement the prints, textures and silhouettes while giving the collection its own distinct visual identity.

Material selection always begins with understanding how we want a garment to feel and behave. For ELSEWHERE, we wanted to create a balance between a certain lightness and a sense of familiarity. Silk brings luminosity and movement, allowing the garments to catch light and feel almost otherworldly, while cotton introduces softness, comfort and an everyday ease. This contrast felt particularly relevant to the collection because we were exploring the meeting point of the fantastical and the familiar.

Craft has always been an integral part of how we build a collection. With ELSEWHERE, we wanted the surface of each garment to feel considered and full of discovery. Smocking introduces texture and dimension, while embroidery and appliqué allow us to build detail through different layers. Lace adds another quality of lightness and delicacy. What interested us was how these techniques could work together to create something that feels organic, as though the garments have evolved rather than simply been constructed. We wanted the craftsmanship to enrich the imagination behind the collection while remaining intrinsic to the design.

The most interesting part of the design process is often what happens when an initial idea begins to evolve through experimentation. A print can take on a different character when translated onto a fabric, or a surface technique can change the way a silhouette feels. We try to remain open to these discoveries rather than holding too tightly to the original sketch. That openness was particularly important because the collection is about imagination and the unexpected.

We would be drawn to a creature that exists between worlds and cannot be defined by a single form. What fascinates us about mythical beings is their ability to hold contradictions: they can be powerful yet vulnerable, familiar yet strange, grounded in nature yet entirely imagined. That ambiguity offers an incredible starting point for design. It opens up possibilities in silhouette, texture and proportion, while allowing the narrative to remain open-ended.

We hope the collection encourages a sense of curiosity and playfulness. Clothing can be a very personal form of expression, and we like the idea of a garment allowing someone to inhabit a slightly different version of themselves. With ELSEWHERE, we wanted to create pieces that feel distinctive without being intimidating, and imaginative without losing their ease. Ultimately, we hope the wearer feels a sense of freedom.

We wanted the campaign to extend the world of the collection rather than simply document the clothes. Since ELSEWHERE draws from folklore, mythology and imagined beings, the visual narrative needed to carry a sense of wonder and possibility. We were interested in creating imagery that feels slightly removed from the everyday, where the familiar can appear unexpected and the viewer is invited to imagine a story beyond the frame. The campaign was an opportunity to bring together the garments, their details and the atmosphere surrounding them, allowing the visual world to feel like a natural extension of the collection.

The most memorable part of creating a campaign like this is seeing the world you have imagined begin to take shape through the people, clothes and images coming together. There is always an element of unpredictability on set, and that is often where the most interesting moments emerge. For us, that sense of spontaneity felt particularly appropriate for ELSEWHERE. We wanted the process of bringing it to life to retain some of that same openness and playfulness.