AUTUMN 2018: Inspiration behind the collection
JUNE 2018
The inspiration - Isabella Bird, a remarkable woman.
Isabella Bird was born in 1831 in Yorkshire – the daughter of a clergyman. The illnesses that had plagued her childhood had continued into adulthood and she suffered from insomnia and depression.
In her mid twenties, her doctor recommended that she travel to aid her well being. Her father gave her £100 and told her she was free to travel wherever she wanted. And so a lifetime of pioneering travel followed – she journeyed to North America, Japan Korea and China, India, Persia and Kurdistan to name a few.
She wholeheartedly embraced the cultures of the countries she visited and would often travel alone – an act that in itself was almost unthinkable at the time - bravely facing the dangers that inevitably ensued. Photography became a passion and she wrote many books on her travels in eloquent prose that were later illustrated with her own photographs. She became extremely well known in Britain and became the first female fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1891.
Drawing from Isabella’s countless photographs and writings from her travels, this season our collections have a distinctly global and glamorous sophistication.
PRE-ORDER New Season Bed, Bath & Home Accessories Collections