The Collier

I believe some designs find you.

The Collier found me through a silent auction at an Autism Speaks gala, where I'd donated a custom design experience — having no idea that this particular donation was about to become one of the most meaningful projects of my life. The winning bidder was Cary. But to Collier, she goes by Mom.

Collier is an extraordinary little boy with a heart of gold who paints and draws constantly — and what he draws, mostly, is pandas. Happy pandas. Bold pandas. A whole world with a panda at the center of it. When I saw his artwork, I understood immediately: this couldn't be a scarf with a panda on it. It had to be Collier's panda — one of his original masterpieces — at the center of everything, exactly the way it is in his world.

So that's what we made. His cheerful panda sits front and center, cradled inside a heart made of palm leaves — because a boy with a heart of gold deserved to sit inside one — surrounded by a riot of color and pattern. A world of happiness and wonder, drawn by the boy who lives there.

We called it "The Collier" all through the design process, but once it was finished, we asked the real Collier what he wanted to call it. Without hesitation: "Boys Rule Panda." We loved it — so his title lives on inside the design, on a banner right at the top, in script.

The finished pieces landed at CB Grey headquarters on the evening of December 23. Mallory and I didn't even discuss it. We grabbed the boxes and drove across Atlanta, two days before Christmas, pulling up right as the family walked out the door for dinner.

Collier was already dressed in a little blazer, so I tucked the pocket square into his pocket for a photo. He immediately took it out. Refolded it — correctly, I should add. Slipped it back in the right way. And somewhere in those five seconds, watching a little boy fix my fold, the design quietly changed hands for good.

He grinned up at me. "OK. Now I am ready for my picture."

Have a story that belongs on silk? That's what The Studio is for.