Letter: 005
List: Early Islanders
Status: Shoot Note
Origin: London
ROLL 002 / in the studio 14.07.26 / London
Isla Noir First Wave
Isla Noir detail
01
Isla Noir detail
02
Isla Noir detail
03
01 / VOLCÁN + BRUMA / LONDON
02 / VOLCÁN TEE / STUDIO TEST
03 / BETWEEN FRAMES / STUDIO FLOOR

To: Early Islanders
From: the studio — London
14 July 2026

Dear Islander,

I always knew who I wanted for the first studio shoot, but we hadn't spoken since I got back from New Zealand and Hawaii, so I was a little nervous about reaching out. It wasn’t until another model couldn’t make the date that I finally sent a very last-minute message, and luckily she said yes.

The second model is my best friend, who I lived in New Zealand with for a year; and together they ended up being exactly what I had dreamed of for this shoot. They also allowed me to photograph the different sizes I was still needing to for the first collection.

ATTACHMENT: 001
FILE: STUDIO-MOODBOARD-002.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
Tenerife first location image 1 Tenerife first location image 2

The shared moodboard Isabella and I built before the shoot.

This particular moodboard was a bit of a group effort too. One of the girls built a shared Pinterest board with me before the shoot, and it became a beautiful addition to the styling and the feeling I wanted to create. I thought I would include it since our first shoot's moodboard was so popular. Looking back at it next to the final images, I love how much of that original idea actually made it through.

ATTACHMENT: 002
FILE: LONDON-STUDIO-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
Tenerife south image 1 Tenerife south image 2
Tenerife south image 3 Tenerife south image 4

A study in fit.

ATTACHMENT: 003
FILE: VOLCAN-LONG-STUDIO-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE

The uniform before Isla Noir

Volcán Long Sleeve, in the studio.

ATTACHMENT: 004
FILE: LAS-CANTERAS-STUDIO-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
Tenerife borrowed objects image 1 Tenerife borrowed objects image 2
Tenerife borrowed objects image 3 Tenerife borrowed objects image 4

The first three, under studio light.

We shot in London on an extremely hot midsummer day, in an even hotter studio. My nephew came along and kept us all company while we worked through the different looks, and somehow we all survived the heat long enough to get everything we needed.

The most meaningful part of this shoot was having my sister shoot the images for me. We combined our creative visions, and ended up with these gorgeous shots that I’m completely obsessed with. The girls were so perfect for this particular shoot, not just visually, but for showing the different fits I was still lacking at the time, which were crucial for the website before it went live.

ATTACHMENT: 005
FILE: LONDON-STUDIO-35MM-001.JPG
SOURCE: ISLA NOIR ARCHIVE
Tenerife lookbook image 1 Tenerife lookbook image 2
Tenerife lookbook image 3 Tenerife lookbook image 4

Between frames. London, 35mm. Rescued film.

Everyone came away with a couple pieces each as a thank you, and once again the whole day ended up feeling like a group of people I love helping me expand the ISLA NOIR world.

I totally adore how the images turned out, and even more that these darling girls had a part in making them.

From the studio,

Alexandra

BTS Note / London

Evidence from the day below.

Watch Digicam Edit

Watch Founder BTS

Island Letters / Shoot Notes / Last updated July 2026