Spotlighting: Our "Let’s Go Country” scarves, by Charlie
A long time ago, I bought this incredible scarf in Japan, which had an almost-homemade, punk aesthetic to it. The colours were slightly over-printed, and it had a subtly tassel edge. I've always wanted to replicate that, so we did.
We have a long-standing relationship with graphic designer and illustrator Laurie Avon, who has created pieces for us at Glen Dye, Hawarden, and beyond.
“You had initially commissioned these illustrations as part of a field guide for Glen Dye, designed to help visitors connect with the local environment and learn how to engage with the natural landscape around them. Each motif ties back to the wildlife a person might encounter around Glen Dye, as well as the kinds of activities visitors can do in the area. Some of the buildings were inspired by the cabins tucked away in the woods on the Glen Dye estate. Stylistically, I aimed to evoke the feel of classic illustrations from adventure books of the 1960s and 70s, giving the designs a subtly retro charm,” Laurie explains.
I asked Laurie if we could relicense these illustrations for this scarf and thankfully, he was up for it.
I also wanted to bring in Gail Bryson – a colour specialist and a screen printer – as we have had a long-standing relationship with her ever since we had our shop, Pedlars, in London. Gail has a brilliant way of bringing colour, tone and life into art, products, and clothes, so I knew she was perfect for this job. “I was staying up at Glen Dye working on the Wayfinder Cairn project the same week as the Gladstone / Hellen photoshoot was taking place. It was a conversation at dinner and you mentioned that you’d like to add a scarf to the range which added a bit of fun and colour to the collection. It was basically a brief then and there, and I got on with it when I got back to my studio in London,” Gail says.
Colour being Gail’s speciality, I knew that she would do a fantastic job coming up with something playful and FUN, which is exactly what I wanted this scarf to be. “I wanted both scarfs to have common colours but also look different, colour wise,” Gail explains. “Because I’ve worked a lot with both you and Caroline, I know what colours you like, specifically that you’re, like me, drawn to bright colours and love pink.” On combining forces with Laurie, Gail says, “It was really great and a very easy process. He supplied his brilliant illustrations and we had to change the format of them so I could use them differently. They were originally used very small and I wanted to blow up the scale so he had to help me increase the resolution. I cut them out quite roughly in photoshop so there was a bit of a white border around them to make them look like they had been cut out and collaged which was the look we were going for.”
The finished product of the scarf is exactly what I wanted it to be, but better. Gail and Laurie worked so well together, knowing where each had their strengths and ultimately being able to turn art in one form into art in another. We decided on the phrase “Let’s Go Country!” which reminded me of an old Bow Wow Wow song, Go Wild In The Country (which I hope a lot of people will know!). We’ve used traditional techniques to print and manufacture this scarf and of course, it’s made in England. We love it and think it’s the perfect piece to wear pretty much anywhere – from city, to country, and back around again.
Explore the scarves here.
