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As they have discovered, their rustic retreat—like Chris-
tian Dior’s own country manses—has also proved to be
a great source of creative energy. The couple have repur-
posed a small barn with walls covered in pinboard that
now serves as their out-of-town design studio (and if they
are feeling more adventurous, there is a cabin in the
woods, too). In the buildup to their collections “we’re
literally here for maybe nine days sketching 12 hours a
day,” says McCollough. “In winter we call it the vortex
because we’ll come in here at midday and the sun sets
three hours later, so it feels like this eternal night.” “After
four or five days,” Hernandez adds, “we get into this zone.
You dream about drawing.”
After a checkered recent history with two different sets of
investors, McCollough and Hernandez have recently taken
back ownership and control of their brand with a new CEO
and a new team. “We’re just rethinking the way we work,”
says McCollough. “It’s been cool. The interesting thing, when
you own your own business, is that you get pulled in all these
different directions.” “At the end of the day, we want to
create a business: It’s not an art project,” Hernandez says.
“It’s like a whole new chapter. We feel reengaged.
“It feels good to fall back in love with our own company,”
he adds, contemplating the thrilling wall of images, fabric
treatments—and sketches—in the couple’s countryside
design laboratory. @