Never blend in.

You were invited into the room. You don't have to disappear in it.

I'm Gabi. I'm creating Collar & Command: statement shirts for women who are done blending in. The shirt is the skin that makes you feel ready. I want your voice at the heart of it.

Have your say

Help shape our first shirt.

AI concept: a woman in a fuchsia shirt with a big collar and flame orange cuffs, black tailored trousers and a black handbag, walking in the city

AI concept, not made yet

01Sound familiar?

Blending in isn't modest.
It's armour.

The pin.A safety pin between the buttons. Fashion tape. Just in case.

The cami.A vest underneath. In July. Because the cloth shows everything.

The jacket.Kept on all day, in a warm room, so nobody sees the shirt give up.

The beige one.Bought because it was "flattering". Never felt like you once.

The meeting where you rehearsed your point in your head until someone else said it.

The networking event where you looked very busy on your phone.

The win you played down so nobody thought you were showing off.

Nobody ever got promoted for being hard to see.

You already have the experience, the ideas and the voice. The shirt should help you show them. Loud or quiet, your call.

Turn up.
Don't apologise.

Sound like you? Have your say

02Why me

Twenty years in those rooms.
Twenty years sitting on this shirt.

Me, grinning in my pink and orange glasses, pink beanie and orange gilet. Not a power shirt in sight. — Still waiting on my power shirt. This is me for now.

VP level. Founder, twice. I know the rooms. I also know the safety pin and the cami in July, because that was me.

Two months ago I told you I was starting a shirt company. Then I disappeared. I freaked out and launched a consulting firm instead. Safe. Credible. I was hiding.

So I grabbed the sewing machine and started sewing. Designs are coming to life.

The shirt is the skin that makes her feel powerful and ready. That's what I'm making.

Come with me. Gabi x

03From sketch to shirt

The shirt that makes the outfit.

It started in pencil. Here's what I'm working towards.

Collar.Striking. Holds its shape, up or down.

Cuffs.Distinctive. Made to be seen.

Colour.Bold. Never beige.

Comfort.Sit, reach, breathe.

Fit.Bust first, then waist. Not one or the other.

My original pencil sketch: a tall pointed collar, deep cuffs and a nipped waist — Where it startedThe original sketch.

AI concept: fuchsia shirt with flame cuffs and black tailored trousers in the city — AI concept, not made yetWith tailoring.

AI concept: cobalt shirt with flame collar lining, silk scarf and wide jeans outside a café — AI concept, not made yetWith jeans.

AI concept: fuchsia shirt with flame cuffs, jeans and wellies, walking a golden retriever down a country lane — AI concept, not made yetEven wellies.

Swipe for the concepts →

These are goals, not promises. The designs are still being drawn up. And yes, she's coming on the dog walk.

04Why your answers matter

Your answers shape the pattern.

Where it pulls when you sit down. The collar you'd actually wear. The colour you'd reach for. How you want to feel when you walk in. It all goes into the fit, comfort, collar, cuffs and colour.

I'll share what I learn and the decisions it leads to. I can't make every request. I will read every one.

From the first 50 answers, to 16 October

have given up on shirts altogether.

get gaps at the bust.

hate the ironing.

hide a cami underneath.

“My button popped and flew across the desk and hit my colleague.”

“Had to leave my jacket on and fastened on a stinking hot day.”

“No see-through at all!”

05Come in

I want to design this with you at the heart of it.

Have your say

Women who don't apologise for turning up
and don't hide who they are.

One day you'll walk into a room and spot another Collar & Command woman. Every woman who sees another woman in the brand is a silent nod.

06The Room

Want to see where it goes?

Fridays. The letter. What I made, what failed, what's next.

25 December. You vote. Go or no go.

If it's a go. Run one is 120 shirts. The Room gets them first.