16Arlington On Togetherness and WFH Routines

How did you meet?
Kikka: We met in a club. A mutual friend introduced us, and I had no idea we were starting on the same course the following Monday. We became really good friends and started dating in the first year of university, and that’s when we also started to work together professionally.

When it comes to design, are two heads really better than one?
Kikka: I definitely think so. Our brand’s ethos is based on twos: a female perspective, a male perspective; maximalism versus minimalism. It’s about the balance between these elements.
Marco: I think there’s a lot to be said for having two perspectives. There’s something quite magical when you’re working on the same thing and you kind of sync. Obviously, there are a lot of arguments, but good things can come from that too. Some of our best ideas have come out of our biggest arguments.

Describe each other in five words.
Kikka: Funny, cheeky, creative, spontaneous and kind.
Marco: Laughter. Kikka’s always laughing – if you can’t see her, you can definitely hear her. Inspiring – she inspires me in many ways. Talented. Funny, without realising she’s really funny.

Have you learned anything new about each other in recent weeks?
Kikka: Yes. I knew he was OCD, but I didn’t know it was to this level!
Marco: Just when I think I know everything about her, she has an ability to spring up these stories – like a little Aladdin’s treasure chest, always something to discover. I’ve realised that I’m never bored with Kikka.

How are you keeping in touch with your wider creative community?
Marco: We’re lucky to have such a creative network of friends and colleagues and being in touch with them on a daily basis is really helping. We’re all going through this at the same time, so telling each other how we’re processing each day really helps.

Put on a piece every day that makes you smile. Anything that can evoke a little bit of happiness, or a memory.

– Marco Capaldo

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What makes a house a home when you’re working there, too?
Marco: For me, home is almost a mini sanctuary, in which you surround yourself with all the things you love. Now is the time when you can really delve into those family albums and relive those memories. We found a stack of Face magazines my mum had kept from the ’80s; reading the interviews from back then has been quite amazing. Looking at books and really studying them. All the things you should do at home but never quite have the time to.

What are your current WFH rituals?
Marco: Now, more than ever, it’s important to be a little bit strict. It’s so easy to fall into a bad routine and watch Netflix into the early hours and shift your body clock. Routine-wise, it’s about trying to get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time, and making sure there is some sort of schedule, in what could be a very unscheduled time.

What are your simplest pleasures right now?
Kikka: It’s been nice spending some quality time with Ralph (our dog), and also to have endless phone conversations with our friends and family, without worrying about getting off the phone because there’s something else going on.
Marco: The fact that we can have an extra 10 or 15 minutes in bed in the morning, which you’d never normally get as there’s always a meeting or a fitting, or whatever else you’re doing that day. And small things like making a coffee and actually sitting there and enjoying it, rather than running to the Tube. It sounds really silly, but it’s these really small things that you suddenly appreciate.

We’re lucky to have such a creative network of friends and colleagues and being in touch with them on a daily basis is really helping. We’re all going through this at the same time, so telling each other how we’re processing each day really helps.

– Marco Capaldo

Photography by Beth Morrison

What are you working on at the moment?
Kikka: Due to the current situation, a lot of unexpected things have come into play, which we’re trying to navigate our way around, on a daily basis. But whenever there is a free creative time, I like to go back to [working on] the next collection and continuing the process.
Marco: I would split it into two different things, personally: mind and body. I’m trying to do a little more working out, and I’m trying to enrich my knowledge of all the things I love – ticking books, films and research off my list. Obviously, then, there’s the collection – whether it will be a spring/summer collection or postponed to autumn/winter. It’s difficult to be creative, but at the same time there’s a lot more time to develop an idea or really research it. It’s a bit bitter-sweet.

What’s your current WFH uniform?
Kikka: Usually something that’s comfortable, but not too comfortable, because then I get lazy. I sometimes go into Marco’s wardrobe and steal one of his big sweaters.

Marco: Black, which is my usual working uniform. I’m trying to actually make an effort to get dressed properly. There’s a lot to be said for how productive you are by waking up and picking something out that you can be comfortable in but also work in.

Any current WFH style rules?
Marco: Putting on a piece every day that makes you smile. Anything that can evoke a little bit of happiness, or a memory – whether it’s a piece of jewellery or a childhood T-shirt. I found my old school shirt the other day, which all my friends had signed. I think, little things like that can make your day a little brighter.

There’s a specific kind of glamour to 16Arlington. Should we be glamorous at home?
Kikka: I think there is always a time and a place to be glamorous, and you should always dress for yourself, whether you’re at home with someone or you’re alone. Personally, even just putting on earrings makes me feel more glamorous.

What are you working on at the moment?
Kikka: Due to the current situation, a lot of unexpected things have come into play, which we’re trying to navigate our way around, on a daily basis. But whenever there is a free creative time, I like to go back to [working on] the next collection and continuing the process.
Marco: I would split it into two different things, personally: mind and body. I’m trying to do a little more working out, and I’m trying to enrich my knowledge of all the things I love – ticking books, films and research off my list. Obviously, then, there’s the collection – whether it will be a spring/summer collection or postponed to autumn/winter. It’s difficult to be creative, but at the same time there’s a lot more time to develop an idea or really research it. It’s a bit bitter-sweet.

What’s your current WFH uniform?
Kikka: Usually something that’s comfortable, but not too comfortable, because then I get lazy. I sometimes go into Marco’s wardrobe and steal one of his big sweaters.

Photography by Beth Morrison

Marco: Black, which is my usual working uniform. I’m trying to actually make an effort to get dressed properly. There’s a lot to be said for how productive you are by waking up and picking something out that you can be comfortable in but also work in.

Any current WFH style rules?
Marco: Putting on a piece every day that makes you smile. Anything that can evoke a little bit of happiness, or a memory – whether it’s a piece of jewellery or a childhood T-shirt. I found my old school shirt the other day, which all my friends had signed. I think, little things like that can make your day a little brighter.

There’s a specific kind of glamour to 16Arlington. Should we be glamorous at home?
Kikka: I think there is always a time and a place to be glamorous, and you should always dress for yourself, whether you’re at home with someone or you’re alone. Personally, even just putting on earrings makes me feel more glamorous.