There are certain places that stay with you forever, and for me, Greece has always been one of them.

So much so that when I began designing the very first SWEM RESORT collection, I already knew exactly where I wanted to shoot it. I wanted the collection to feel cohesive, almost like one of my Euro summer wardrobe diaries brought to life.

Every piece needed to belong together and feel so unmistakably inspired by the Aegean: the colours, the coastline, the effortless way of dressing and that particular kind of summer that only seems to exist in Greece.

At the end of July, we packed what felt like my entire wardrobe: three weeks’ worth of Euro summer outfits, 16 pairs of shoes, more bags than I could count and, most importantly, the very first SWEM RESORT collection. Somehow, we made it all to Greece and began our journey through Santorini, Milos and Mykonos.

Over the next few weeks, through to mid-August, the trip became part campaign shoot and part Euro summer escape.

More than anything, it was the deeply surreal experience of watching a vision I had held onto for so long finally come to life - in the exact place that had inspired it all.

We started the trip in Santorini, staying at Nano Collection.

The original plan was actually to shoot the entire campaign ourselves. My husband and I have shot pretty much all of my content together for years, so naturally we thought, how hard can it be? I also loved the idea of having complete creative control and just exploring the island, finding beautiful spots and shooting as we went.

Turns out, slightly harder than we thought.

Pretty much as soon as we arrived, we realised that getting the Santorini we'd had in our heads - the blue domes, hidden viewpoints and little whitewashed streets, wasn't as simple as walking around with a camera and hoping for the best.

A lot of the iconic spots are tucked away, difficult to access or places you'd genuinely never find unless you knew exactly where you were going. Then you add the crowds, the heat and trying to get the light right, and suddenly our very relaxed “we'll just shoot it ourselves” plan wasn't looking quite so relaxed.

We decided to book a local photographer who knew all the ins and outs of the island, and it was easily one of the best decisions we made on the trip.

Not only did we get access to locations we never would have found ourselves, but it meant we could actually focus on the collection and the imagery rather than spending half the day trying to work out where we were going.

And considering I'd designed so much of the first collection with Greece and particularly those Santorini blues in my head, I really wanted to get it right.

When we weren’t shooting, we did Santorini exactly how we like to do a European summer; long lunches, sunbathing on our terrace, probably one too many gyros and finding somewhere beautiful to sit as the sun went down.

Beefbar at Andronis was easily one of our favourites. The views are insane, the atmosphere is great and, most importantly, the food actually lives up to the setting.

We also loved Ammoudi Sunset down in Ammoudi Bay. It's one of those places where you go for lunch, order another drink and suddenly realise you've been sitting there for hours. Right on the water, incredible scenery and just very, very Santorini. An absolute must do!

Basically, if we weren't shooting, we were either lying in the sun or eating somewhere with a ridiculous view. Exactly as intended.

For months, SWEM RESORT had existed as ideas: mood boards, fabric swatches, sketches, colours, samples, fittings, messages, revisions and tiny decisions that probably seemed insignificant to anyone outside the process.

I knew precisely what I wanted it to look and feel like. But until this trip, most of that world had existed only in my head.

Then suddenly, I was on holiday in Greece, wearing my favourite designs.

Seeing the Greece-inspired blues against the island that shaped them was surreal. Everything just made so much sense together - the colour, the light, the movement and the landscape. It was almost surreal to watch something I had imagined, sampled and obsessed over for so long become tangible in front of me.