Closer - A Connections Sequel [Ongoing]

Twenty five

Valerie P.O.V.

"Amazing." I said, slowly shaking my head in disbelief as I stood with my arms crossed, a hand on my chin in thought. "Olivia, you are a freaking genius!" I grinned as the model walked up and down our small studio with the sample clothing on.

"Hey this is your brainchild right here!" She gestured towards the model with a humble smile, "I just did the manual labor."

"I couldn't do it without you though," I added warmly, placing a hand on her arm.

"Thankyou," she said graciously. "I'm really proud of this line. I think it's some of Delerie's best."

"I completely agree. We've really stepped it up." I picked up a digital camera as well as the Polaroid to take some snapshots of the model. With the Polaroid, I stuck it up on our vision board next to the sketches. Seeing them side by side made my heart swell. I've come so far with all the work I've put into Delerie.

Olivia fiddled with the clothing for a little bit as she perfected hemlines and cleaned up any loose ends.

"Alright, now that the final design is finished and the samples fit perfectly on the model, I'd also like to try a few more sizes on a variety of girls to see if the fit is still of a high standard with our prescribed measurements."

"Yeah no worries Val, I can do those up." Olivia smiled breezily.

"We can't get it perfect for everyone because it's not tailored, but for off the rack, I want it to have the most flattering fit possible for the general customer." I explained. Sometimes, bringing clothes to life from a sketch doesn't always go as you plan, so I was so happy to see that these samples were done successfully and it looks great on a model. However, not everyone has a model-like body type. I want my clothes to be inclusive, and look good on as many people as possible- being fashionable isn't just for one kind of body.

"Yeah of course," she agreed. "I'll do my best to adjust where possible so that the sizing measurements fit as well as they can."

"Perfect. I'll finalise and purchase the last few fabrics and materials we need for production, then when we get the sizing down pat, we'll make the sewing patterns and send them off to the warehouse." I concluded. "Not long to go now!"

"Yes!" She said excitedly. "We're right on schedule. A couple more weeks until production can begin, then we can do the promotions and photoshoots!"

"The fun stuff." I nodded with a big grin. "That reminds me actually! If you happen to stumble across any girls on social media that might fit the brand, let me know! I'm always looking for a fresh face to include in campaigns."

"Sure thing!"

"Great. Thankyou for all your hard work Olivia. You're a gem."

She flicked her hair over her shoulder playfully. "That's me," she winked.

I chuckled before exiting the studio and entered the office space, seating myself at a small desk that was reserved for me whenever I popped by to HQ. I slid out my laptop from my bag and set it on the desk before going through a slew of emails from my team, as well as from other external businesses. I opened my excel spreadsheet to begin reviewing Delerie's budget. It was important for me to get ahead of this as early as possible before holiday season begins- when things are usually crazy. I had to hire an accountant usually at the end of every financial year to go through the books, ensuring everything is up to par. Delerie's budget including anything and everything from employee salaries and wages, utilities and tenant bills from all Delerie sites, production costs, advertisement budgets, external merchandise purchases, team social and miscellaneous expenditures.