The natural flow between body and planet
A brand new conception, the patterns in Flora intend to bring a fresh perspective to the idea of body and planet and the unbreakable bond between us. Natural beauty is best expressed through flower and fauna, and through our Flora, we celebrate all things in the bud. From our abstract interpretations to our visualization of hibiscus which sets our pattern alight.
heritage
The Fish Scale and the Grotto
Although Flora is a pattern never seen before, we were inspired by fabrics with flower motifs throughout history. Unlike Flora, which keeps nature at its core, not all of these fabrics rooted their meaning in the natural world. Overt flower imagery can be seen in the Hibiscus or Topizo fabric from Guinea and Ivory Coast. Historically, twelve yards of this fabric were an essential part of a bride’s dowry.
Other references points include the Grotto fabric from Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, a status symbol of wealthy women. We also recognize the heritage 1960s Helmet design otherwise known as “Bunch of Bananas” or “Shell” with its hypnotically symmetrical natural shapes, and Village Molokai, a fabric inextricably linked to the struggle for independence in DRCongo.
the maakola meaning
The intertwining relationship that binds us
For us, the power of this print is the blurring of lines between ourselves and the environment we inhabit. We believe that we are not separate entities, but part of a greater whole. Our floral symmetry and natural symbolism evoke a sense of continual movement and the ease and grace to this dynamism.
We wanted to make the connection between different kinds of plants and the transgression from that to the lines of our body clear, but ultimately it is the hibiscus that becomes the centerpiece in a floral backdrop. Despite the hibiscus being the hero image, each floral tribute, whether tangible or abstract, represents the flow and energy that animates everything around us, and to which we irrepressibly belong.
How we work with the Circle of Life Fabric
You can find our Heartrise fabric in elegant, wear-anywhere pieces that reflect our ethos and our care for our planet and its people. The blazer, pencil pants and palazzo pants in the collection come in 100 percent premium quality cotton (130 gr/m²) that’s as easy to care for as it is to wear.
Heartrise is a Wax Hollandais print – a process that takes an average of 25 steps to complete. We love the tiny bubbles and individual crackling effect that emerge throughout the process, adding another layer of uniqueness to the fabric and bringing the print, and its message, even further to life.
