Hi from India! I’ve spent the past few weeks on the ground at our factory. There’s something about being here—hearing the hum of machines, touching the fabrics as they come to life, watching our pieces move from sketch to sample to production—that pulls me out of the day-to-day and lets me zoom out.
These trips are where I do my best thinking. They give me the space to plan ahead, to imagine what’s next for Mixed. I already mapped out our 2026 calendar and even penciled in time for a retreat to plan out 2027! In many ways, planning collections feels a lot like planning a curriculum back when I was a teacher. You start with a theme or a story, then find creative ways to bring that idea to life for your community. The details have changed—new silhouettes, new colors, new campaigns—but the through line stays the same: a message, a feeling, a moment you want to share.
It’s a reminder that even when you pivot completely, there are usually threads that carry over. Teaching taught me how to create a narrative, how to keep people engaged, how to bring big ideas to life in a way that feels accessible. Those same skills show up in every collection I design.
Being able to focus more on design is a milestone for me. For a long time, I held onto every part of the business. Growing the team has given me the ability to delegate and spend more time in my creative zone. And while there’s still so much I want to improve and our first attempts are rarely our best, I have to start somewhere.
And speaking of starting somewhere…I’m so excited for what’s coming next: our first knitwear collection drops next Sunday!!! It feels like a new chapter for Mixed and I can’t wait to share more details with you soon :)
Hugs,
Nasrin