Elizabeth Kiester led a fast-and-fabulous New York City life as a fashion editor before landing in Cambodia, falling in love, ditching the city, and forming Wanderlust, which will now gain wider visibility through a partnership with Madewell.
The journey leading up to the Wanderlust for Madewell capsule collection has been an experiment in love and beauty for Kiester. Upon her permanent move to Siem Reap, Cambodia, the fashion-savvy expat dug through the rich design resources of the country to create an evocative collection in conjunction with local artisans, craftspeople and neighborhood children. The result: a breathtaking line of breezy separates infused with a classic Cambodian aesthetic.
To the folks and fans at Madewell, the aesthetic provided a perfect translation for the label's summer line and thusly, the J.Crew offshoot label joined forces with Kiester to create gauzy shirts and dresses, sandals for kicking back and colorful, handcrafted jewelry. The line debuted on the website and in the Soho shop on Monday and will come to other locations this month. Folks can also get their hands on Wanderlust goods May 7-16 at a special pop-up shop in Brooklyn and online at the Wanderlust website.
Kiester will be on hand to toast the collection tomorrow night under the backdrop of a bougainvilla-covered hut within the store, giving us more of a taste of her found paradise and the treasures spun by its people.
Madewell is located at 486 Broadway in Soho, and the Wanderlust Pop-Up will run May 7-16 at 439 Metropolitan Avenue.
