In our world of plenty and constant need to consume, it’s refreshing to meet people who have taken time to step back and find new ways to be ‘kind’ to the environment and the world we share. We take for granted everyday necessities, especially the clothes on our backs, irrespective of those who made them, how many miles they’ve clocked up getting to us and indeed the chemicals involved in the whole process. Yes, it’s a minefield.
When Jigsaw recently announced their collaboration with Brooklyn based, pigment expert and artist Audrey Louise Reynolds, my interest was piqued. Here’s a young woman who creates dyes using ‘smashed up’ flowers, fruit and vegetables, who uses the rain to imprint them into the fabrics and the wind and sun to dry them. Interesting right? For spring summer 16, Audrey has developed a unique recipe to create a collection of prints for Jigsaw, the natural ingredients include wild ripe blackberries, dandelion, weeping willow bark and pale pink crystals. The collaboration has three stories; a limited edition run of 50 pieces features hand dyed prints on soft cotton cashmere and silks so that every piece is unique, while a multi-coloured rain print has been digitally remastered and printed on silk satin. The last story is a collaboration with Irish linen makers Baird McNutt where, for the first time, traditional dyeing chemicals were swapped for naturally occurring ingredients including burnt beech vines and red earth to create an exclusive collection of dyed linen pieces.
The enclosed film explains the process, and I sat down with Audrey at the recent launch of her collection to find out just how and why she developed this unique way of working with nature.
Audrey at work in her studio creating her natural pigments.
“We associate rain with dreariness but all that is beautiful relies on it. Imagine how exotic rain could be if we coloured it.”
Audrey, what was it that inspired you to create this technique?
“I got here by being so upset by the current state of the way things are made, how ‘fast’ fashion is and the sheer abundance of the materials used. I wanted to figure out new ways to dye fabrics and not just the traditional tie dye or flat colour techniques. It’s a beautiful thing to incorporate the organic, it leaves stuff up to chance, like doing a dance with nature. I guess it’s capturing the elements you can’t see. It’s playful and you don’t make the same thing twice, even if you are using the exact same actions, I was literally standing in the rain thinking ‘how can you show this?’ It’s basically about curiosity and trial and error because I’m self taught.”
How are the dyes fixed into the garments?
“Some fruit and vegetables have an affinity to fabrics already, fruit juices stain and that’s the reason biological detergents were developed. Of course, colours fade and some dyes, like flower colourings will fade more quickly, but that’s just part of the natural evolution of a garment. I also love the fact that there is an overlap of the medicinal qualities in the dyes – instead of your body absorbing harsh chemicals often imbedded in our clothes, here I can use the process of colour therapy and the beneficial attributes of some plants, for example Tumeric (yellow in hue) eases joint pain and is used for Alzheimers and of course, fruit contains vitamins A, D and C.”
Is there one piece that proved more challenging to create?
“I noticed that Jigsaw celebrate the stripe throughout their collections, so to create a print that unleashes a little chaos within the architecture of a stripe was something new for me”
Who would you like to reach?
“Everyone. This is the perfect example of just how ‘harmless’ we can be. I’m currently working on an offering of natural arts and crafts dyes, an interactive and chemical-free range for all ages.”
For a pigment artist who takes colours from nature’s stockroom, this collaboration with Jigsaw brings Audrey’s artwork to a larger audience. The offering is small, just 300 pieces so you’ll need to move fast, but you’re buying into something wonderfully handmade and unique.
My favourite? definitely the silk camisole – the thought that this is just one of 50 pieces, is hand signed and been 100% kind to the environment is really special.
The Limited Edition collection
The Digital story
The Linen story
PS. For a scented little footnote to this post about the power of petals and delicious natural ingredients, what better way to sign off than with a selection of natural fragrances…
Perfume notes: Jerome Epinette’s sophisticated blend of Tunisian neroli oil, Moroccan orange flowers and incense with blond woods and Haitian vetiver. £110. See more at: http://www.lessenteurs.com/c/2586/Bois-Blonds
Perfume notes: Botanical Essence™ No.1 Eau de Parfum, was skilfully handcrafted by distinguished perfumer Jean-Charles Niel in Grasse, France. Over 98% directly derived from natural ingredients, this complex scent uses some of the most precious botanicals from around the world. Italian bergamot, high-altitude lavender from France, Damask rose from Turkey and spicy patchouli from Indonesia are just a few of the ingredients in this sparkling, vibrant fine fragrance. £49
http://uk.lizearle.com/fragrance/liz-earle-botanical-essence-no1.html
Perfume notes: “Le Labo Rose 31 is a gorgeous unisex scent based around the famous Grasse Rose. This one of a kind fragrance features warm, spicy and woody notes from rose, cumin, cedar and amber which blend together for a delicious and memorable scent. Confident and mysterious this will flatter the wearer all day long.”
http://www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/product/Liberty//Rose-31-100ml/4083
Perfume notes: Ok so you’ll have to head to California (or the internet) to purchase some of this hedonistic 100% natural and organic perfume, but it will be quite the trip to lay hands on it. Gorgeously heady, reassuringly expensive. $75 for eau de parfum. http://rich-hippie.com
Pefume notes: “Tacit is at once familiar in its citrus notes and distinctly contemporary in liberal use of Basil Grand Vert. And as the title implies, somewhat elusive in character – more readily experienced than articulated. The formulation was born of two key inspirations: the fresh notes found in traditional colognes; and the culture, topography, and fragile, perfumed vegetation of the Mediterranean coast”. £63 – See more at: http://www.aesop.com/uk/fragrance/tacit-1.html
Fashion & Style Director Shelly Vella
Photograph of hand signed camisole by Fluorescent Image