Since launching his namesake label in 2015, Kobi Halperin has been designing for women who “celebrate getting dressed everyday.” Now with COVID-19 raging on, our ‘everyday’ looks quite different – and thankfully, Halperin is continuing to make designs that inspire. Known for his aspirational yet accessible label, the designer is learning how to create his collections with the same attention to detail while the team is working remotely. We caught up with Halperin to hear what some of the challenges have been since staying at home – and also some of the perks!

On tips for working from home

[It is] very important to maintain a routine. I always start my day early and plan my tasks for the day. I think structure is important, but I definitely spend more time than usual with my family, which is a big plus. For the last 21 years, I never got this precious time I now have with my girls. I get to know them so much better and love how they get to see my design process and how I work.

On adapting to work from home

As a company, we always keep our relationships very family-oriented. We each still work from home, but we keep connecting daily via Zoom. All teams adapted to the new way of working and we are trying to make the best of it. The design team keeps working on future collections and we feed each other with inspiration constantly. With the production team, I conduct our weekly fittings and together we review all garments and give comments. Of course, I miss the element of movement of the garment and the dialogue with the fit model, but I find creative ways to “speak” to the garments. Our sales team is constantly on calls with all our business partners and comes up with plans for the near future as well as for the long term. In general, we are all more focused as the daily distractions are no longer there. The part I miss the most and can’t replace easily is the connection and face-to-face with my costumer as, in normal times, I spend a lot of my time in the stores.

On personal feelings

Being at home isn’t easy but I keep myself motivated and inspired constantly. I turned my living room into my design studio so I’m surrounded by my inspiration boards and items I brought from all over the world. That helps to keep me motivated. Of course, the unknown future can be stressful, but I try to focus on being creative and positive.

On the future

We all know the future will be different. Consumer behavior will definitely change. In my opinion, there will be more “buy now, wear now” product and I think it makes much more sense. I remember as a young designer, I always questioned “living in the future” of retail. I think now, all of us in the industry have a great opportunity to think differently than we used to and come with a better approach and be even more connected with our costumer.

On a message to the fashion community

Please take the most out of the situation, learn to appreciate all you have, and whatever you create now, do it the best way – maybe do less but whatever you do, do it the best way. Focus on your core DNA and what you stand for. The costumer will be pickier so we all need to cater to that.