Welcome to Creative Direction

Welcome to my weekly Substack on all things building an independent fashion label, fashion & design.

Like many, for some time I have been exhausted by my argumentative inner dialogue on whether a Substack newsletter was right for me. Is this something people want? Will anyone actually read it? Can I bring value to you, Dear reader, every single week?

There’s something that feels so naked about baring your all creatively. As someone who does this for a living, the irony isn’t lost on me. This newsletter has been on my to-do list for some time, however is the first thing to take the back seat when the going gets busy. Hiding behind my mountain of emails and “productivity” but ignoring the creative that isn’t measured by KPIs.

Perhaps you too can relate to the feeling- whether it’s launching a business, writing that Substack, or tackling that goal you set for yourself last year. Maybe it’s simply making art for the sake of creating- even if it’s bad.

For a number of years now I have hid behind the ideology that my inconsistency in posts was part of the “cool girl” mystery, when in reality, I was love bombing my followers on TikTok or instagram stories for short periods of time before disappearing completely, to barely even open the app. A sort of self sabotage I haven’t been used to, as someone who lives by the motto of “consistently good is better than occasionally great” - why do I all of a sudden possess an iPhone full of half written notes for substack, photo albums full of content never posted on instagram or TikTok, and ideas left unexplored that would bring value and connection?

For 2025, I have set myself a challenge:

What would it look like if I showed up daily online?

In 2025, what is something you can carve out time to do? For me, you can expect a weekly newsletter from me on substack, and daily TikTok’s or instagram updates at @livkoennecke as I share my learnings and experiences as a founder of an independent fashion brand in a stage of growth, as a boss, and as a 30-something just trying to keep up.

What you can expect from Creative Direction:

The business of an independent fashion label: a founders perspective of the trials and tribulations, what we’re working on, what’s working, what isn’t.

Creative series: where I interview founders or others in the industry on their experiences, tips and how they got there.

Design: naturally, fashion will take centre focus, but as a self-titled vintage & marketplace expert and someone about to undertake a renovation of our newly purchased art deco apartment, my Pinterest board is bound to overflow into Substack.

Weekly what I’m loving: the cultural zeitgeist, books, playlists, beauty & more.

I hope I am able to bring some value, ideas or inspiration to your daily readings. Until next week.

Things I’m loving this week:

Westman Atelier Lit Up Highlight Stick in Nectar: Made without the bad stuff and all the good stuff, I’ve never not received a compliment whilst wearing this. Say hello to glassy, glowy skin, without looking done up.

Nagnata Demi Wool Legging in Mocha: in 2024 I’m leaving behind poly & plastic activewear, which your skin can absorb (don’t quote me on this one but a quick google from more expert sources gave me with the ick on poly). Cue Jan 2^nd where I purchased all new Nagnata activewear, made exclusively from wool, organic cotton and natural, breathable fabrics.

Alessi Espresso Maker Percolator: in for 2025: making your own coffee. Not only chic in stainless steel, it feels very meditative, with a reward at the end.

Christopher Esber Jo Flip Flop: these were a Christmas gift from my husband. The grown woman’s jelly sandal, a quick wash under water after being at the beach and they’re ready to be worn to drinks as an elevated basic.

Maison Essentiele Buckle Top in White: Probably my most worn piece of the summer, I’ve been wearing over bathers with linen pants or dressing it up for dinner with a lace skirt or jeans.

The Ganni Playbook: A refreshingly honest insight into a later stage fashion brand and the husband and wife duo behind GANNI, discussing all things culture, scaling and sustainability. I devoured this over the summer break.