Today’s post is about “Zulu Print” one of my favorite prints from this SS13. I say favorite because this was a lot of fun to create. In fashion terms we’re nearing the end of the season, so this scarf won’t be around much longer, and I though it would be good to share some of the inspirations behind the design.
The print is influenced by my childhood memories of growing up in Southern Africa. I try to appeal to a quintessentially British sense of fun and humour in the way that the design is put together. There are surprising little characters and tiny details in the beading that you only notice when you’ve owned the scarf for a while. This collection in general is a re-imagined world, with subtle a subtle 1990’s new-punk feel. I’ve used soft feminine shell pinks and pastels offset against bright blues and greens because I love the contrast between subtle and bold.
Southern African toys played a big part in the design, especially beaded dolls. I also included wire bicycles, which kids make for themselves where I grew up in Lesotho.
These Zulu dolls on tourist website Isandlwana are a great example of the toys. I also loved the way this mobile on Fab.com took the wire bike idea to another level.
The next stage was to sketch and paint some Zulu doll shapes, which I punked up with spikey hair-dos. In the end I decided to stay truer to the original dolls and ditched the spikes.
Once the print was complete the scarves were created and we set to work designing a hat with Sussex Milliner Lizzie Lock. I wanted a sporty visor with a slightly vintage French Gendarme look. The black visor keeps the sun at bay while the lighter coloured natural straw on top stays cooler. Lizzie then made a limited run of the hats, which are now stocked at The Boutique Gallery at Jaeger Regent Street and have been worn by Rita Ora.
