Maria Varela is an American fashion and textile designer. After completing her BFA in fashion design, she decided to pursue a Masters in textile design, so she could learn to express herself through silhouette and print. Maria uses a combination of photography, digital print, painting and surface embellishment to create textiles for women’s fashion. She develops her work in a way that exudes the same energy and love she feels for her subject matter. This collection is a maximalist’s approach to exploring the joys and freedom of European travels in a post-pandemic world. Her move from Chicago to Bath felt like a step towards a restriction-free life, and since then she has taken the opportunity to see other parts of Europe as well. Maria has kept track of her time abroad by collecting photos of architecture, graffiti, and ticket stubs from places she’s visited. She also kept a journal that documented her personal experiences in each new city. She has used all of her combined experiences and materials to create bold and colorful textiles that tell the story of her travels. This collection is Maria’s journal come to life. Simple silhouettes allow the prints and embellishments to be on full display, and her hope was to create a collection that marks the celebration of a new life, post-pandemic.

Maria would like to thank Alice Bowen-Churchill, Beverley Acott-Williams, and Ophelia Becker, for being her first friends in England, and for teaching her how to be a little more British.