Dreamt up by Co-founder and Creative Director, Sylvie Wilson, the Hunter Valley Collection was inspired by weekends away with friends, exploring wineries and carefree merriment.
"Every collection starts with a spark of inspiration. For me, it was thinking about a beautiful Spring weekend away that I spent in the Hunter Valley with friends. We went on a hot air balloon, watched the sunrise over the beautiful hills and went wine tasting."
Following the spark, the next step is creating a moodboard. The team contribute to a Pinterest board, adding in all elements of inspiration for the styles, colour palette and mood of the collection.
Leaning in to ancient greek wine motifs, the first print was born.
"The wine cherub print is my favourite print of any collection we've created so far. Each motif is inspired by ancient greek art and mythology. I loved how this ancient art of wine making is still practised and enjoyed today, so this print is a nod to the history of wine." - Sylvie
Dark berries, grapes, oat milk, chocolate and neutrals all became the base of a colour palette for the Hunter Valley collection. A nod to the artisan chocolate and wine makers of this region.
Next came the fabric selection and design of the new styles.
"We wanted this collection to feel luxurious, elevated and contemporary. We have always loved the use of cut-out details in contemporary fashion and wanted to create a style that women with curves can feel confident wearing." - Sylvie
Each silhouette nods to signature Dani Marie shapes, carefully constructed to suit curvy body shapes.
The collection also introduces the first shirt and pants coordinating sets, crafted in sustainable tencel and spandex for comfortable stretch.
"The inspiration behind the shirt and pants came from our customers - we wanted to give Dani Marie women an elevated, versatile and every day set that can be dressed up or down." - Danielle
The collection was a labour of love, with each style subjected to four or more rounds of fittings with different fit models in sizes 14, 18 and 20.
@danimariethelabel BTS from the fitting of our next collection 🤍 we always end up doing multiple fittings to make sure we get it absolutely right. #sizeinclusivefashion #curvyinspo #smallbiztiktok ♬ Aesthetic - Gaspar
"Getting the fit right is the most important aspect of every collection, especially when we're introducing new styles. We don't just to do a fitting once or twice on the same person. We want to see each item on multiple people, to test the comfort and drape of each style."
At its very essence, this collection is a celebration of chocolate, wine and curves. Every piece can be dressed up or down and is designed to fit to your body with beautiful stretch fabric and elasticated waistbands.