Sleepless nights are inevitable when you’re a fashion designer planning and designing a new collection.

“There are a lot of hours and hard work that go into creating a new collection and running a business,” says Chelsea Templeton, the designer behind Adelaide fashion label Chelsea Eve.

“You have to be prepared to make lots of sacrifices and invest yourself completely.”

2011 saw the release of the label’s first manufactured collection and since then she hasn’t looked back.

Chelsea Eve’s fashion. Photos courtesy designer

Templeton’s designs start as rough sketches in her notebook. 

“[It] will initially start with a mood board – basically, a collage of all of my ideas including pictures, sketches, a colour palette, print ideas and fabric swatches 

“All of my ideas start as sketches or even sometimes just a few notes which are later developed into a garment by draping the fabrics on a mannequin and making the patterns.

“Each collection tells a little story, so I keep that in mind when putting the pieces together to make sure they flow and portray the right message.” 

Sourcing fabrics is one of Templeton’s favourite things about designing, but it is time-consuming – hours and weeks are spent searching for the right fabrics and embellishments. 

“I head [overseas] annually on a buying trip to choose fabrics, finalise samples and quality-control before a new collection is released.” 

Chelsea Eve’s fashion. Photos courtesy designer

Last month, Chelsea Eve teamed up with young Adelaide photographer Phoebe Conway to promote the new collection She’s A Dreamer with a shoot at the Royal Adelaide Show.

“It was very different to anything I had done before and reflected the fun, playful side to the collection,” Templeton says.

“The Chelsea Eve girl has big dreams of travelling the world and is forever seeing the most from life and I’ve tried to capture the way she gets lost in her fantasy world.”

The range was released in the September Collection, a fashion parade showcasing some of Adelaide’s most talented designers, and Chelsea Eve also had a stall at this week’s Adelaide Fashion Festival parade event in Norwood.

“The most rewarding part is seeing the whole collection come together as a story at the end.

There is no better feeling than watching something that you have put your whole heart and soul into walk down the catwalk as a finished collection.” 

Chelsea Eve is stocked in a number of boutiques around Adelaide and purchases can also be made online by visiting the Facebook page.