Oak & Sweet Chestnut Painted Encase Shirts
“I hope that by inviting Oak and Chestnut into our garments and wearing them close to our skin and through our lives, that we may feel a sense of gentle, yet strongly rooted and stable, holding, to carry us through our days.”
The Autumnal fruits of a truly love-driven project, two years in the making.
A series of seven hand painted pieces created in collaboration between oB and Botanical Inks.
Natural pigments foraged from wind fallen leaves of Oak and Sweet Chestnut, painted by hand on organic Khadi cotton.
Overlapping in two differing pigment tones derived from nature, horizontal and vertical lines meet in a check-like pattern against shirt Two. Dancing across the front and reverse, the spontaneously applied pattern has a uniform look with a subtle wobble as a sign of its unique, hand painted application.
The cut is full and wide, yet not too oversized around the body. This shirt offers a flowing, generous fit with a back pleat detail emerging out of the narrow collar on the reverse, to create a structure that falls against the body.
Whilst the sleeves have been shaped narrower towards the forearm, the side seams have been rounded towards the front as to bring the seam lines down the arms and bodice. This encourages greater visibility of the hand-painted lines which meet playfully around this area; resulting in an interesting asymmetric effect.
“I hope that by inviting Oak and Chestnut into our garments and wearing them close to our skin and through our lives, that we may feel a sense of gentle, yet strongly rooted and stable, holding, to carry us through our days.”
The Autumnal fruits of a truly love-driven project, two years in the making.
A series of seven hand painted pieces created in collaboration between oB and Botanical Inks.
Natural pigments foraged from wind fallen leaves of Oak and Sweet Chestnut, painted by hand on organic Khadi cotton.
Overlapping in two differing pigment tones derived from nature, horizontal and vertical lines meet in a check-like pattern against shirt Two. Dancing across the front and reverse, the spontaneously applied pattern has a uniform look with a subtle wobble as a sign of its unique, hand painted application.
The cut is full and wide, yet not too oversized around the body. This shirt offers a flowing, generous fit with a back pleat detail emerging out of the narrow collar on the reverse, to create a structure that falls against the body.
Whilst the sleeves have been shaped narrower towards the forearm, the side seams have been rounded towards the front as to bring the seam lines down the arms and bodice. This encourages greater visibility of the hand-painted lines which meet playfully around this area; resulting in an interesting asymmetric effect.
“I hope that by inviting Oak and Chestnut into our garments and wearing them close to our skin and through our lives, that we may feel a sense of gentle, yet strongly rooted and stable, holding, to carry us through our days.”
The Autumnal fruits of a truly love-driven project, two years in the making.
A series of seven hand painted pieces created in collaboration between oB and Botanical Inks.
Natural pigments foraged from wind fallen leaves of Oak and Sweet Chestnut, painted by hand on organic Khadi cotton.
Overlapping in two differing pigment tones derived from nature, horizontal and vertical lines meet in a check-like pattern against shirt Two. Dancing across the front and reverse, the spontaneously applied pattern has a uniform look with a subtle wobble as a sign of its unique, hand painted application.
The cut is full and wide, yet not too oversized around the body. This shirt offers a flowing, generous fit with a back pleat detail emerging out of the narrow collar on the reverse, to create a structure that falls against the body.
Whilst the sleeves have been shaped narrower towards the forearm, the side seams have been rounded towards the front as to bring the seam lines down the arms and bodice. This encourages greater visibility of the hand-painted lines which meet playfully around this area; resulting in an interesting asymmetric effect.
In detail…
Cut from 100% organic Khadi cotton cloth that has been hand spun and hand woven by Fairtrade co-operative farmers in Western Gujarat, India. Read more about the beauty of this fabric here and the cooperative here
In detail…Created in collaboration with Botanical Inks
Slim, narrow collar. Back pleat. Side hem openings
Sewed using un-dyed organic cotton thread
Painted, cut, sewn, pressed and photographed in-house
Constructed from a minimal waste pattern - the leftover fragments from the pattern have been sewed together into a quilted piece, nothing has been left to waste
Painted spontaneously using free-hand line strokes that were led by the hand, in no particular order
Oak and chestnut derived inks, foraged by myself and Babs in Ashton Court Bristol
Complete with a front fastening adorned with small organic cotton pressed buttons
The cloth has been mordanted and is wash fast, Handwash only
“I believe these fallen leaf shirts can be magical amulets to their wearer, if they so wish them to be.”
- Babs, founder of Botanical Inks.
Read more about the Fallen Leaves project here.
