Today’s post is an exclusive, an exciting preview of a new collection by Daughter of a Bohemian, a gorgeous website and label that I’ve been enamoured with for quite a few years now. Discovered on Instagram ( @daughterofabohemian ), I was first entranced by the curated offering of styles: stunning kimonos; luxury, hand-beaded jackets and delicate tops; customised parkas & t-shirts plus a trove of up-cycled treasures. Basically, a bespoke collection of lust haves that I ached to own. It was a website that embodied my very own eclectic taste, aesthetic and love of beautiful things. Recently, again through Instagram I discovered that coming soon to the label are the hand-painted pieces photographed for today’s post. Camouflage made yet more desirable, hand-painted with gorgeous blooms by Nuala’s own daughter, fine artist Kione Grandison. Bespoke? Yes. An investment? Definitely. Something you’ll treasure? Without a doubt. As ‘slow fashion’ finally gathers a dignified and respected pace at the heart of the industry and people search for something just that little bit different from the mainstream offerings, this is definitely a pitstop for the discerning bohemian and all-round lover of beautiful things.

 

I chatted to Nuala Ferrington, owner and designer of DoB about the brand and the forthcoming collection;

As a successful buyer for many key high street stores, Nuala became disillusioned when the demand for cheaper, faster fashion began to affect everything she loved about the process;

” Fabrics had become cheaper with polyester replacing silk as ‘king’, fashion had become disposable with people chasing the latest ‘fashion fix’ at the lowest price and as a result the high street was starting to blend. The old adage of ‘cost per wear’ had gone and in its place we had a ‘disposable’ fashion culture, which I found sad and clearly unsustainable. I was also hugely concerned with the impact this was having on the chain of people involved in the process. The pressure on the retailers to compete on price, ultimately meant that the people involved in making the clothes were perhaps being unfairly paid or treated in order to supply the hungry beast that the high street had become. Not to mention the increased pressure on people like me, the buyers and designers, to always have the latest trend, at the right price and ahead of the competition. We were working long hours, there was no work life balance and I believed there must be another way… 

I love fashion, always have, but I found it increasingly hard to find pieces that I wanted to part with money for. I didn’t mind paying for something lovely and  unique, but I was finding that even the high end designers had fallen into the trap of the money-making business and the prices were rising. I realised that there were pieces in my wardrobe that I had had for years, some of which were vintage, which I would wear maybe only 5 times a year and it was those pieces which made me feel special and that others would always comment on. They were not fast fashion. They were ‘treasured items’ which had been made, designed and ultimately worn with love. I would speak to my friends and I realised that there were many like-minded people out there who craved something unique that would stand the test of time. I set out to produce a range of beautiful, treasured items. Those pieces that you could hand down to future generations to be loved all over again.”

**Each piece shown below is priced individually depending on the cost of the raw item and the hours taken to paint; therefore every Daughter of a Bohemian piece is bespoke and a ‘one off’, with the exception of the hand beaded items. 

Kimono, from £180, hand-painted Adidas pant, from £120, cropped Adidas vest £15, JD Sports.

 

Hand-painted Kimono, from £280; socks, models own.

 

Kimono, as before; necklace, vintage;  body £17,Intimissimi.

 

Hand-painted Sweatshirt, from £100.

 

Hand-painted Parka, from £280.

 

Hand-painted Combats, from £140, t-shirt, vintage, diamanté necklace & belt, vintage.

 

Kimono £160; hand-painted, over-dyed, Levi jean, from £180; hand-beaded silk shrug, £120; body, as before; necklaces, vintage.

 

Coming soon are a collection of hand-embellished pieces, currently being worked upon in India by a company called Sewa, an organisation that organises women workers for employment and ensures they have work, income, food and social security. An empowering organisation that you can read more about here. Sewa.org. Shown below, a woman working on one of the new pieces,

 

If you’d like to see the pieces up-close and personal, Daughter of a Bohemian will be joining forces with ten other like-minded brands: (Dilli grey, Bell and Fox, Collective boutique, Lisa Taylor, ille de Cocos, Olivier baby and kids, Edit 58, Bag and bones, Coveted london, Antigone, Big Jon, Finlay and co, Kirsty Gadd and Lala and Zizo ) to form the W11 collective. The labels will be sharing a space to create a curated lifestyle pop up of contemporary, british, boutique brands, which will include womenswear, accessories, jewellery, art and homewares. The shop will be open 16th – 27th November.  1 Lonsdale road, W11 2 BY.  

 

Fashion & Style Direction / Styling Shelly Vella

Photography John Rowley

Hair & Make up Lisa Valencia

Model Catherine Nielsen at Select

Photographed at E4 Kitchen Location