Letter: 002
List: Early Islanders
Status: Sample Note
Origin: Gran Canaria
ATTACHMENT: 001
DATE: June 2026
FILE: VOLCAN-SHORT-SLEEVE-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
ISLA NOIR Las Canteras Capsule
Las Canteras: final samples, first proof
Sample Notes 001

Gran Canaria

The design process, sample testing, and the pieces we actually wore on the island.

TO: EARLY ISLANDERS
FROM: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
DATE: JUNE 2026

Dear Islander,

Before Isla Noir looked anything like it does now, it existed as a collection of notes, fabric swatches, screenshots, and sample parcels moving back and forth across the world.

At the beginning, I thought I needed to find a manufacturer I could visit in person. I was attending fabric expos and manufacturer meetings in London, introducing myself as the founder of this tiny new brand, despite having little more than a name, an idea, and a handful of design sketches to show for it.

It felt awkward, intimidating, and honestly quite scary at the time. But looking back, I really admire the version of me who showed up anyway, alone, unsure, and with no real idea what she was getting herself into.

ATTACHMENT: 002
DATE: January 2025
FILE: LONDON-FABRIC-SOURCING-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
ISLA NOIR Las Canteras Capsule
Fabric sourcing, London, before the first samples
THE FIRST SAMPLES // LONDON

For a long time, the process felt like a lot of learning, testing, tweaking, and a bit of self doubt. I had definitely jumped into the deep end.

The first samples taught me quickly that something looking or feeling good isn’t necessarily the same as something working, especially when it comes to designing pieces for the sea.

I started with a fabric that felt incredibly soft. In my head it seemed perfect. In reality, it became heavy when wet, started pilling, and wouldn’t have survived the kind of surfboards, saltwater, and repetition I wanted these pieces to handle.

Back to the drawing board.

After months of testing them in the pool, trying different fabrics, adjusting the designs, and eventually changing manufacturers, I finally had a small set of samples that felt ready to leave the studio and enter real life.

So I packed them into my hand luggage and took them to Gran Canaria.

ATTACHMENT: 003
DATE: April 2025
FILE: FACTORY-EDITS-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
First Samples
ATTACHMENT: 004
DATE: MARCH 2025
FILE: FIRST-FIT-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
First Fit
First fit checks and factory revisions
OCTOBER 2025 // GRAN CANARIA

This was when the real test started: surfing, paddling, saltwater.

The samples still weren’t perfect.

The neckline was adjusted, while the other ideas were quietly parked for another drop. This was also when I decided to get an extra sample made for my cousin to test, because she spends way more time in the water than I do day to day in the UK.

That’s what this stage was for.

Not having the final pieces yet.

Learning from them.

ATTACHMENT: 005
DATE: October 2025
FILE: GRAN-CANARIA-FIELD-TEST-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
ISLA NOIR Las Canteras Capsule
First island test: surf sessions, saltwater, and notes
APRIL 2026 // TENERIFE

One of the most useful pieces of feedback came from my cousin Alma. She freedives, hikes, spends most of her life outdoors, and generally puts clothing through far more demanding situations than I ever could in London. After a few days of testing, she sent me this voice note.

ATTACHMENT: 006
DATE: APRIL 2026
FILE: ALMA-FIELD-TEST-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
ISLA NOIR Alma field testing
ATTACHMENT: 007
DATE: APRIL 2026
FILE: ALMA-FIELD-TEST-002.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
ISLA NOIR Alma field testing
Field test: Tenerife, sea to summit
ATTACHMENT: 008
DATE: APRIL 2026
FILE: ALMA-VOICE-NOTE-001.M4A
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR AUDIO ARCHIVE
ORIGINAL AUDIO PRESERVED IN SPANISH

Hearing somebody describe the pieces after genuinely living in them felt very different from hearing feedback in a fitting room.

By that point, the samples had stopped feeling like samples.

They had started becoming real products.

Once I was happy with the black short sleeve tee, I added the long sleeve. Then the white colourway, which gained an extra piece of lining for better coverage. Small details changed because of how the pieces behaved when they were actually worn.

JUNE 2026 // GRAN CANARIA

By May 2026, the first production order had finally been placed.

Another trip to Gran Canaria soon followed, which became an unexpected testing ground of its own.

My sister wore the pieces almost daily. Beach days, dog walks, supermarket runs, afternoons in the sun. Not styled shoots or campaign moments. Just normal life.

One piece in particular kept getting borrowed.

The Volcán Long Sleeve Performance Tee was originally created to solve a problem I’d run into myself: wanting extra sun coverage without feeling like I was wearing a rash vest.

Watching it become the piece people automatically reached for was a small but reassuring moment.

It felt like proof that the idea was working.

ATTACHMENT: 009
DATE: June 2026
FILE: VOLCAN-LONG-SLEEVE-FIT-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
ISLA NOIR Las Canteras Capsule
Volcán Long Sleeve, final sample fit notes

Looking back, that’s probably what this final chapter was really about.

Not manufacturing.

Not fabrics.

Not logistics.

Confidence.

The moment where an idea slowly starts becoming something people can actually wear, use, and make part of their lives.

From the archive,

Alexandra

SOUND NOTE / HIJA DEL VOLCÁN
PLAYLIST: Vol. 001
SOURCE: FROM THE FIELD
Listen to the playlist

ALSO AVAILABLE ON APPLE MUSIC

Island Letters / Sample Notes / Last updated June 2026