The idea had been forming quietly for weeks, almost like a thread in the back of my mind that refused to disappear. The new collection was ready, the jackets with Mateo’s silk sitting neatly on their racks, but I did not want the launch to be loud. There had been enough noise in my life, enough headlines and speculation. This time, I wanted something different.

So instead of arranging a traditional opening or calling in the usual photographers, I sent out handwritten invitations to a select ...