The next few weeks were a wild ride. The sleepy, lazy, homebody Esha was now a full-on coffee-addicted workaholic—even more driven than corporate-slave Alana and influencer Evelynn.
Every morning began with a pot of espresso so strong it could revive a skeleton, and every night ended with her face glued to her laptop as she designed outfits, answered emails, or fretted about font choice for marketing materials.
But weekends? Those were the highlight. Esha, Evelynn, Liam, and Neesa plunged into planned livestream shoots at luxe locations—the spa, an art museum, a rooftop bar, and even a secret garden restaurant. Those weekends felt relaxing, even rejuvenating, and reminded her why she jumped head-first into this branded madness.
Opening a fashion line was not easy. But she had a head start. Enough capital, a physical store in the city's trendiest street, and the Cloth Fairy System backing her. Now she just needed the rest: renovation planners, interior designers, financiers, a fabulous first collection theme, models, photographers—the list stretched longer than her coffee queue.
Thanks to Evelynn's clout, models and photographers RSVP'd before she even sent the invites. But the theme—the soul of Rise—eluded her. She'd devoured fashion magazines since pre-dawn, binged runway videos for high-end houses, and scanned blogs and forums...but her heart hadn't been stolen yet. She'd sought opinions from Alana, Evelynn, even her old dorm roommate—but nothing felt just right.
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One Monday evening, bleary-eyed from 24-hour caffeine-fueled sprints, Alana arrived at their apartment.
Esha lounged ravaged on the sofa. Evelynn had retreated to her livestream station.
Alana flopped onto the couch beside Esha, excitement sparking in her voice. "Remember we joked some 90s retro clothing was classy AF and trending again?"
"Uh-huh," Esha muttered, voice half-lost in sleep.
Alana continued at full volume. "Today at work I met a Managing Director wearing full-on retro 90s. Tailored blazer with shoulder pads, high-waist slacks, sleek ballet flats. She nailed the look."
The words 90s, classy, and retro stacked themselves in Esha's mind like puzzle pieces.
In a heartbeat, she was on her feet, nearly spilling coffee.
"I've got it!" she cried like a madwoman before sprinting around the apartment in what could only be described as a caffeinated victory lap.
Evelynn poked her head out. "Is this the theme?"
Esha stopped dead center. "YES. Timeless Retro—90s AND early-2000s styles reinvented for today!"
Even Alana had goosebumps. "That... that's perfect. Nostalgia and elegance. Office suits with kitten heels, slip skirts with oversized blazers... I'd look like a diva straight off a 90s movie set."
Evelynn emerged, curiosity piqued. "It works—and it's tangible. People can style it now. Vintage never felt this new."
They all burst into excited chatter.
They sketched lists on napkins (no, actual napkins—because in creative mode, anyone with a Sharpie and food will scribble genius concepts).
Ideas included:
• Blazer + slip-skirt combo – shoulder pads, silk slip underneath, color-blocked or monochrome
• Pleated slacks & cropped sweaters – super crisp pleats, retro prints like houndstooth
• Casual polo + high-rise jeans – early-2000s inspired pop colors
• Little black dress with shoulder pads – blazer optional
• Wide-leg culottes + fitted turtleneck – late-2000s fusion
Evelynn suggested: "We should ask fans what they want back—and might pay to revive."
Later that week, they launched a fan survey via Evelynn's livestream
Questions included:
• Favorite retro style?
• Office wear or casual street?
• Pop versus muted elegance?
• Colors: jewel tones or pastels?
Responses rolled in by the thousands. Sheer demand for "sharp office meets modern elegance" themes soared. There were suggestions like "double-breasted blazers in lavender", "denim skirts with wide belts", "velvet slip skirts".
One fan, @OliviaDraws, submitted sketches titled "Neo-Retro Royalty"—oversized shoulder-padded jacket with metallic thread, paired with a midi silk skirt in champagne tone. The details: elbow-length sleeves, waist tailored with a sash, and gold-tone buttons. Esha nearly fainted.
"That's couture," she gasped.
Evelynn nodded and skimmed through more sketches. "There's like five thousand more, and half are incredible."
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Late nights at the apartment felt like a creative jam session — layout seating, sketches everywhere, cups of tea, and four people bouncing off each other.
Alana tried to fit into a vintage slip dress: "Why does old fashion feel like you're being hugged... then stabbed?"
Evelynn said, "We need a mood-board day—mixed with fairy lights."
Esha, armed with markers, taped fan sketches to her inspiration board. "These pieces? We build them."
In a midweek livestream, Evelynn held up OliviaDraws' sketch.
"Look at this..." she said, voice soft with awe. "This might be the flagship piece. Esha? Dare you to bring this to life."
Esha's heart raced. "Consider it on my desk by Friday."
Evelynn winked at camera. "But only if you dare."
The chat turned into wild emojis:
💥💜🕶️🌟
"That jacket is shaft warm keep me from freezing in style!"
Beyond clothes, Esha had to develop the physical store concept: minimalist black interior, vintage neon signage in script ("Rise Studios"), clothing displayed on antique oak hangers, retro record players in corners, velvet couches in neutral tones, mirrors with Edison bulbs.
She met with their friendly interior designer, Mei—a former fashion brand manager. Esha nearly had a meltdown when Mei said, "Yes to olive-lit spirits, no to sterile minimalism." She had a meltdown until Mei mocked by saying "Trust me", and Esha relaxed into faith.
They planned a soft opening timeline: shoot lookbook in two weeks, soft open in four, full launch in six.
They spent a quiet Sunday at a secret garden restaurant with ivy walls and fairy-lit pergolas—exact inspiration for Spring retro pieces. Esha filmed clips: pockets of data, fabric swatches pinned on a board, Evelynn modeling a lavender top.
By Sunday night, the four huddled in the apartment with snacks, exhausted and satisfied.
Esha typed mood-boards into her laptop and pinned final sketches.Alana kept designing packaging for the upcoming lavender blazer launch.Evelynn reviewed stream footage and jotted collab points.Liam & Neesa edited their weekend content—teaser clips already trending.
Music drifted, energy pulsed, and even the system (though lazy most days) pinged with the thought:
"Mainline Fashion Mode Enabled."
Esha's hand shook as she logged off the livestream platform.
"This... is good," she said, voice quiet but confident. "The brand feels like more now."
Evelynn smiled brightly. "Because it is more."
Alana leaned in. "Rise isn't just clothes. It's soul. 90s soul meets modern."
And somewhere in the background, Liam muttered, "Next weekend: rooftop shoot?"
They all nodded, silent agreement.
The era of Timeless Retro had begun.