December 17, 2024 |
Wilde Amaryllis never saw her doodles as much more than a creative outlet born from the chaos of the pandemic – passing the time, she sketched out googly-eyed cartoons, each bearing its own childlike attitude. Swirling in a vibrant colour palette of magentas, olive greens and navy blues, Amaryllis’s characters brought life to a world that, at the time, felt a far cry away from anything bright. Her illustrations housed themselves in a small journal, in which Amaryllis also penned an anthology of poems, musings and prose. Did Amaryllis’ small piece of gold dust have a name, you’re probably wondering? Well, it was none other than Serotonin Valley.
What once was a purely personal journal and a means to make sense of life during lockdown, has become the springboard for Amaryllis’s first venture into the fashion world. Introducing Serotonin Valley: the London-based streetwear label that looks to the outsiders, celebrating all things skate, street and being a little bit different.
“I love the idea of people seeing one of my characters and imagining their own backstory for them”, Amaryllis says. The 22-year-old never saw fashion as the end goal. She continues, “drawing was my therapy rather than a career goal, it grounded me and allowed me to create a world that made sense when the real one didn’t.” But as Amaryllis began finding refuge in her imaginary, cartoon covered world, she quickly realised she wasn’t alone in these feelings. “As a child, I often felt unintelligent or out of place because I didn’t conform to the expectations of the world around me”, Amaryllis says. “Drawing became my escape, a way to process feelings I couldn’t articulate”. The London-based creative grew up getting to know her neurodivergence, being diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADD as a child: “Imagery helped me understand things when words failed”, she says. From here, Amaryllis’ haven turned into a much bigger initiative – a valley, per se, for her to tell her story through clothes.
Serotonin Valley brands itself as a meeting point for all things streetwear, skateboarding and surf culture: heavily inspired by the energy of the ‘70s, “a time of freedom, creativity and community”. Amaryllis adds, “Despite the challenges of the era, young people found ways to express themselves… There’s something beautiful about people coming together to do something that makes them feel alive”. A term she holds close to home, “community” proves to be a driving force for Amaryllis’ work. As she puts it: “Community is everything to me, it’s my dream. I believe the youth are essential to creating a happier world and they need spaces where they feel safe to express themselves. Creativity means little if it doesn’t fuel and inspire future generations”.
Transcending Amaryllis’s journal, her animated cartoons now wrap themselves around a wearer’s neck in scarf form, perch on top a head as a funky trucker cap, or sit between hands on a silicone phone case. Even the garments’s names tease a glimpse into their backstory: My Inner Ape, The Walk of No Shame, Meet Me at Midnight, and Guinness Girl, to name a few. The streetwear label’s debut collection launched on its website on November 20, alongside a community-led pop-up event nestled within Kings Cross’ Coal Drops Yard. With music from Dejuan Desiree Barnett, guests were welcomed to a fun loving night with limited-edition totes and screen printed T-shirts up for grabs. But this was just the beginning for Amaryllis, who’s currently in the process of designing a cartoon show, also named Serotonin Valley. The show will “feature over 300 funky characters with unique and intriguing stories”, she says. “Since the start of Serotonin Valley, I’ve wanted to collaborate with children. Their innate curiosity and imaginations are so valuable”.
“My generation desperately wants a fresh chapter, where we can celebrate youth, foster connection, build community and brighten our world”, she says, and we couldn’t agree more. The next time we’re in need of some happy hormones, we know just the right valley to head to for the remedy: Serotonin Valley.
Photography by Mina Rohani.
