The Privada Sleeveless Top balances the two main themes of our Vida Privada collection - sanctity and sensuality.

The top's artwork, painted in expressionist painter James Watkins' Escandón, Mexico City studio, was taken from a photographed portion of James' 'sensuality' canvas. The lines are passionate and intrusive, with a black and white abstract form dominant to the softer tones of peach and light green. On the back, yellow paint seductively drips down the top. It's symbolic of the balance of what privacy represents, a prospect to find solace, and an opportunity for experimentation away from society's view.

It is this piece that reminds us most of the work of inspirational Mexican architect Luis Barragan. The colours and shapes of the top's artwork, matched with its clean cut, are in tune with the balance of Barragan's work which is at once clean, expressive, and concealing.

Luis Barragan's Casa Gilardi in Mexico City.

Privada has a simple, contemporary cut. It is the perfect top to use as a canvas for James' work, demonstrating how beautifully the lines of his artwork interact with the human form.

Privada's fabric is a blend of cupro and Lenzing EcoVero viscose fibres. Cupro consists of recycled cellulose sourced from discarded linters, a by-product of cotton processing. It's biodegradable, though chemically treated. Cupro is a great material for warm-weather clothing as it is more cooling than silk or other man-made fibres.

Viscose is a semi-synthetic material sourced from wood pulp. EcoVero is a type of Viscose which is traceable and sourced from controlled FSC-regulated European forests. It's manufactured in Austria by Lenzing, a leader in sustainable textiles. Viscose is biodegradable, though it is chemically treated.

Each top is manufactured at a North London-based small-batch production studio. The studio specializes in high-end production, working with many emerging and established designers and brands in the city. Each top is made in-studio by their talented seamstresses and cutters. It takes three hours to cut and sew just one of our pieces.

You can buy the Privada Sleeveless Top here.