How very extremely exciting is this? Sea New York made its much heralded Hambledon debut back in Fall 21 and we were lucky enough to sit down (sadly virtually, no trip to NYC for us) with the founders Sean Monahan and Monica Paolini and chat about their approach to beautiful fashion.
We started Sea with the intention of creating a company and that we could build and work on together - it’s a natural extension of our friendship.
Monica: Sean and I grew up in Newburgh, NY, about 100 kilometers north of New York City. Our families are very close, and we have been the best of friends from childhood.
Monica: Transparently, it’s the first 3 letters of Sean’s name but we love the more apparent meaning of Sea and where it transports the mind.
The customer continues to be our compass and helps to guide our direction and stay focused. We want to be a resource our customers can depend on. And make clothes that are easy to wear but at the same time make you feel special.
NY inspires the brand. It is our home and a major point of reference for us. The women in NY express a freedom and strength in the way they dress and carry themselves. We see that every day and it influences the way we work. We try to develop pieces that women can use as tools to express themselves rather than overwhelm who they are.
Sean: Monica is the brand. She’s the visionary as well as the nuts and bolts of the company. She does 95% of the work.
Monica: Sean is my sounding board, and if I have a problem he helps me figure out the solution. He’s also a wonderful babysitter to my son Luca.
Monica: Once you’ve established your customer base you push yourself to evolve the newness. This becomes the biggest challenge each season… to keep the collection moving forward while preserving the bread & butter of the brand.
Monica: It still makes my day when I walk down a random street (especially when I’m traveling) on any given day and see someone wearing Sea.
Monica: Each season I start out with a shopping trip to the flea markets and vintage shops (or Etsy during Covid) to find random treasures to be inspired by. From there we work with our wonderful factories to help develop these inspirations into something distinctly Sea.
Jane Birken.
Dropping my son Luca off at school. Riding a Citi bike down to the studio. Design meetings and fittings all day. And then the best hours of the day back home with my son Luca and a glass of wine.
Sean: We’ve worked in the same building (originally the 5th floor which is now my home) for the past 15 years but a few years ago we were able to take over the ground floor that is now Sea’s home base. Our first shop is positioned in the front side of our studio space - it’s a personal, direct window into our world.
Monica: The team is everything! We have so many people who are instrumental to where we are today and have been loyal to the brand. My son Luca turns 6 this month and his beloved nanny is an integral part of the collection coming to life each season. She’s an expert knitter and her crafty hands are behind the making of many of our hand-knit and crochet pieces.
Wine!
Please come by the Sea shop! It’s our home and would welcome anyone. And then you can walk over to Frenchette to have the best fries in the city.
It’s our first home in Winchester. And I think our approaches are similar… designing things we love, in a space we love, to curious stores we can grow to love!
