Audrey Leary was born in Southern California, but moved all over the country as a kid. She met her husband in New York City while finishing culinary school and they married and moved to a small town in Northwest Connecticut where she works as the chef at their small dinner restaurant. She ran a personal style blog while living in Brooklyn in her 20s, and returned to documenting outfits as a creative outlet in the early days of Covid.
It’s always been a dream of mine to design clothing in some capacity; for as long as I can remember I’ve bought clothes at a thrift store that aren’t quite what I want them to be and then used my sewing machine to alter them, dye them, nip and tuck them to be whatever fit and look I’m hoping to achieve. When Shaila approached me to ask if I wanted to collaborate on a collection with World of Crow, I jumped at the chance.
Shaila had samples of several hand-woven textiles that she showed me, that she was planning on using for the collection; they were colorful, vibrant, and a little quirky - right up my alley. We worked together over zoom, she with the sewers in India and me drinking coffee in Connecticut, looking at samples and offering suggestions - maybe this in a maxi dress? Exaggerate the collar a bit? - and pretty quickly the collection came together. I’m so proud and feel so incredibly fortunate to have had a hand in creating these beautiful, handcrafted pieces, and I hope you love them as much as I do!