I hope you’re enjoying Hearth Co so far. And yet not holding your breath for content!
You will notice the cadence of our stories is fairly light; we aim to sprinkle you with them like magic dust, rather than force feed them down the funnel at pace.
I know this flies in the face of ‘on-demand’ and is kryptonite to the algorithms, and perhaps even ironic to be a storyteller who withholds, but writing - like art, often finds its power in what is unsaid, omitted, in negative space, sometimes silence. So, just know that this is all part of the brand experience, and we will only use our voice when there is a yarn worth telling that can come to you freely, without panic, as life permits.
“Don’t let talk keep you from your breakthrough. Your “silent season” is making you, molding you, helping you get clear. It is a gateway for re-imagining.”
- Mike Walrond
While I honour the idea of a ‘silent season’, it is relieving in so many ways that seasons and seasonality are no longer holding creatives and the fashion industry to ransom in quite the same way they once did. It’s so good to see a growing body of evidence and handful of labels that are rising up against the notion, and instead favouring style, innovation and made to order. We featured some of them this past month, including Marrakshi Life and CANVS Bottega.
Last month, Fashion Revolution Week saw the #WhoMadeMyClothes campaign take off on social media, raising awareness of the many real people who touch garments on the way through the supply chain. With that in mind, we have some interviews coming up with hand knitters. One is the lovely JayJay Nguyen in Sydney who is launching her own slow fashion label called Miss MaiMai. The other is the talented Nancy Cook from New York - knitter, DJ and vintage curator, who is working with us on a capsule collection of beautiful hand-knitted beanies, scarves and jumpers. So if you’re also wondering #WhoMadeMyYarn…
For the scarves, each skein of Knit Collage yarn is hand-dyed, carded & spun by a group of 13 women artisans in Punjab, India. The small, community operation supports the livelihood of the Indian women who lovingly craft each skein. The jumpers are being knitted from super kid mohair and extra fine Merino wool. I literally can’t wait to get my hands on them.
The image at the top of this post is the creative genius of my amazing friend Maya Harrison who will be working with me to bring you beautiful imagery of the knitwear capsule, so look out for that.
Coming up this month is also a lovely piece by Tash Yuncken of Curatorial+Co. featuring artist Morgan Stokes and helping to demystify minimalism - so often misunderstood. And by popular demand, we have an interview with Beth Naumann talking from her Boulder, Colorado studio about her hand-bent brass wall hangings and jewellery.
To sign off, I thought I’d bring you this little gem of ‘feel good’ content: Chet Gold - artist, manager of MoMA’s security department and all-round fabulous person, talking about his spiritual connection with Claude Monet’s Water Lilies.
You’re welcome xo