Ch'lita
A portfolio for i-D's Fashion Editor-at-Large
Ownership
Designer & Developer
Team
Solo
Key fact
Delivery: Client shipped
Overview
I designed and built the portfolio for Ch'lita Collins, Fashion Editor-at-Large at i-D and a stylist whose work spans Rosalía, The Dare, Tom Guinness and Oliver Hadlee Pearch. Everything about it is in service of keeping her work in front: editorial image presentation, and a simple CMS so she can update it herself.
The Challenge
Her images needed to be shown with real presence, without visual clutter and without layouts jumping around while they load.
Constraints
- •The styling work needed to lead; the interface could not compete with image rhythm or art direction.
- •The client needed a CMS workflow that did not require developer support for routine updates.
- •Image-heavy pages had to stay fast enough that the portfolio still felt editorial, not sluggish.
How it works
Problem
Portfolio sites often over-design the frame around the work.
Decision
Kept the interface sparse and made image sequencing the primary design material.
Tradeoff
Fewer decorative brand moments in the surrounding UI.
Impact
The interface stays at the edges, and the image sequence carries each page.
Problem
Manual portfolio updates create a maintenance bottleneck.
Decision
Modeled the work in Sanity so image sets and project details can be managed independently.
Tradeoff
More setup work up front than hardcoded pages.
Impact
Image sets and project details are updated in Sanity, without a code change.
Approach
1. Keep the frame quiet
The interface was kept deliberately spare so the styling work remained the focus.
2. Build around the images
The image system was tuned for stable layout, responsive cropping, and good performance.
3. Let her run it
Sanity was set up so the client could manage portfolio content without developer involvement.
Outcome
A stable, image-led portfolio that the client can update independently.
At a glance
Client shipped
Delivery
CMS managed
Content model
Learnings
- →Most of the design work was deciding what to leave out.
- →Understanding how she works mattered more than a list of requirements.
- →A slow portfolio undermines the work it shows, so image performance was part of the design.
Anti-patterns avoided
- ×Decorative transitions that make the portfolio feel slower than the work deserves.
- ×Hardcoded project pages that make every update a developer task.
- ×Over-cropped responsive images that undermine the styling context.
Next iterations
- →Richer editorial grouping for campaigns and press features.
- →A lighter upload review flow for checking crops before publishing.
Next project
SkillScan