A collaboration bringing together Albaray’s modern aesthetic and the beautiful floral artistry of Wilder & Wren to create a capsule collection perfect for Spring/Summer. We sit down with Karen and Beth to hear more about their inspiration behind the new collection.
Image by Tania Ahearne Photography
Q&A WITH
KAREN PEACOCK
Albaray Chief Creative Officer / Co-Founder
We absolutely love the new Albaray x Wilder & Wren collection, what initially drew you to collaborate with Wilder & Wren?
We first came across Beth at Wilder & Wren when she bought an Albaray dress and posted a beautiful picture of her wearing the dress in a stunning green field. Her pressed flower artworks are truly unique and after several messages between us, an idea was sparked to collaborate.
What aspects of Wilder & Wren’s artwork did you find most inspiring, and how did you incorporate them into the collection?
Beth’s work is such a celebration of nature, she captures the wildness of the flowers that grow freely around her in Dorset, there’s something so simple, yet decorative to her approach and pressing and preserving each delicate flower and leaf feels very real.
Can you walk us through the collaborative process for the collection from the initial idea to the final product?
We work with a lot of unique print design at Albaray and it was a case of taking the process a step further with using Wilder & Wren’s pressed flowers. Each flower was photographed and then scanned to be made digital, from there I worked with a print designer to effectively paint over each flower and then place the flowers in a repeat pattern to enable printing on fabric...
Q&A WITH
KAREN PEACOCK
Albaray Chief Creative Officer / Co-Founder
I wanted the shape of the clothes to have a simplicity to them, to feel modern and we loved the idea of tops and skirts to match for a head-to-toe printed look, but then allowing the customer to wear separately, the top with denim, the skirt with a vest. The dresses are designed with versatility in mind, to be dressed up for an occasion or dressed down for summer days and holidays. All made using responsibly sourced fabrics of organic cotton and linen blends.
What do you think is the link between art and fashion?
Art has been an inspiration to fashion designers for decades. Colour, shape and form from art can inspire in many ways, often print design is the most direct route to translate art to clothing.
And lastly how do you suggest people style the pieces from the Albaray x Wilder & Wren collection?
As mentioned above, there are many ways to style the collection and it is designed to be interchangeable and versatile. The dresses are relaxed enough to wear everyday but detailed enough to be dressed up. The tops and skirts work well worn together but equally on their own with simple wardrobe staples such as jeans, vest and T shirts.
Imagery by Beyond The Brambles Photography
Q&A WITH
BETH KENDALL
Wilder & Wren Founder
Beth, we are so excited to see your art come to life in our Albaray pieces. We would love to hear more about your artwork and what inspired you to create Wilder & Wren?
I think most of us, if we pause for long enough, have an affinity with nature. With the beautiful colours and shapes and textures that can be found outside, wherever we live. The comfort and safety that we can feel from being in the natural world is palpable. I am a creative person and studied art at university, but I suppose my journey with Wilder & Wren began when I was seeking a sort of sanctuary in the first months of new motherhood, in the summer of 2016. I was at home with my baby son, Wilder. He’d been critically ill as a newborn. His brain had been damaged at birth, and while he is now a thriving seven-year-old, at the time we didn’t know if or how his injuries might affect his future. I felt a lot of sadness and fear during that first year. But being outside, walking Wilder in his pram, trying to notice daily lightness and joy – for example, the progression of the seasons, the changes in the natural world, regardless of my state of mind; it gave me time to grieve what had happened, whilst very gently urging me forward. I felt soothed by flowers and plants and began pressing them and creating little cards; using my hands creatively for the first time in years. Wilder & Wren became a small business when I began to sell cards and prints online and in stores and galleries locally. I began to build a community on Instagram and I’d sell on there too.
What initially drew you to the medium of pressed flowers as a means of artistic expression?
I’m a real countryside aesthete and enjoy the nostalgic beauty and texture of pressed flower art, and also how immediate and rewarding the process is. And to press a flower is such a simple way of recording a moment for posterity. Sort of like visual journaling. I still sell a print that I made from flowers I pressed during my first summer of motherhood – it’s called Meadow Flowers, and I can vividly remember where the wildflowers were and how I was feeling when I noticed them. How it felt to compose them into something pleasing on a page.
Q&A WITH
BETH KENDALL
Wilder & Wren Founder
How do you source your materials, and what considerations go into selecting the flowers for your designs?
I live in an old thatched cottage in rural Dorset and I’m completely led by the seasons. Living in the very south of England, spring begins earlier here, and I try to forage only flowers that grow in my unruly but extensive garden. Despite loving flowers, I’m no gardener. I keep a few pots of cottage garden flowers by the front and back doors, and the rest of the garden is wild. So many wildflowers feature in the Albaray x Wilder & Wren print designs. Spot the forget-me-nots and buttercups – and pretty little herb Robert; a small pink flower that some serious gardeners consider a weed!
Could you walk us through your creative process for creating a piece of artwork for your brand?
The pieces I create change with the seasons. So, with the advent of the first wildflowers in spring, I might make a glut of cards featuring pressed primroses or violets. As spring turns to summer, I am able to make larger pieces inspired by the brimming hedgerows of cow parsley and red campion (my favourite flower). By midsummer, the garden is full of oxeye daisies and wild geraniums and my village is lined with hedgerows of climbing bright pink rock roses (apparently planted in Victorian times). I walk for miles in summer across the farmland where I live, spotting red poppies in the golden fields of wheat and barley. It’s an endlessly inspiring landscape in the gentler months! Autumn and winter are a time to sit inside in my cosy cottage and create, until my pressed flower supply dwindles. And on goes the seasonal cycle. Many of the original artworks I create turn into reproductions in the form of fine art prints and cards, and of course this exciting collaboration with Albaray.
Q&A WITH
BETH KENDALL
Wilder & Wren Founder
In what ways do you feel your art reflects or interacts with nature and the environment?
My appreciation of nature runs through my entire life and home, whether it’s in what I hang on my walls, the furnishings for the children’s birthdays (real seashell garlands for my daughter’s recent mermaid-themed party), or in the food that I cook. Even the bare bones of my 17th century cottage, with its walls of cob and horsehair and thatched roof – are natural! I try to use natural materials in many aspects of the making process – from the handmade cotton rag paper that I use for some of my cards, to the real hens egg decorations that I adorn with pressed flowers at Easter (and sometimes sell if I make enough), to the chalk paint that I use on my handpainted products.
Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring artists interested in working with nature?
I was inspired to begin Wilder & Wren when I was living in a third floor flat with no garden, in a town. Nature is everywhere because it is us. It is inescapable, and it will inspire you if you’re looking. Also, if your hands and creative eye are rusty, nature’s materials are an ideal medium to work in because they are very forgiving and in my opinion, offer the perfect colour palette.
Image by Tania Ahearne Photography
Imagery by Beyond The Brambles Photography
FOR YOU OR THEM
The Perfect Last-Minute Gift
Add to your wish list or give your loved one the gift of choice this Christmas. Personalise with your own message and send instantly, or schedule for Christmas or their special day in advance.
FOR YOU OR THEM
The Perfect Last-Minute Gift
Add to your wish list or give your loved one the gift of choice this Christmas. Personalise with your own message and send instantly, or schedule for Christmas or their special day in advance.
