Behind the Scenes for the Bestowed Collection #11

The next Bestowed collection is a high summer one and the timing couldn't be better! With the summer heat now upon us the organic cotton Bestowed collection will be perfect. 

This collection #11 features a screen print which is inspired by dill flowers. A couple of years ago we had a bumper dill crop in our back yard. We let some go to flower and then seed and had this awesome floral display for ages. Both Jay and I took a few pics marvelling at the beauty of the flowers.

When we were playing around with ideas for the summer 2018 Bestowed collection we decided to get 100% organic cotton jersey fabric knitted up and dyed in black and white, then screen print it with dill flowers. So the process began. It takes months to prepare for a collection when you create your own fabric, the first draft print options Jay worked on back in April this year. 

The next job was to decide on a new colour for our superfine cotton fabric. We have gone for a beautiful 'Dill Green'. So if you love your Ester Cardi, Slant top or Swivel top and would love a dill green one, you're in luck. We have made these styles in the new colour option as well as topping up the stock of these styles in black. 

We also found a small roll of purple and dill green striped Italian cotton fabric to add to the collection. We are making a limited edition Willow skirt from it. We were able to make 15 of them, so very limited!

As we were working on the fabric we mentioned to our friend Di (an organic farmer) that we want some big dill flowers for our shoot and that we thought Jay's new batch of dill that he was growing from seed in a pot may not make the grade! Di then offered to keep a row or two of her dill in the ground and let it flower and try to keep it going until we needed it for the shoot. Awesome Di.

These dill plants survived a couple of hail storms, big downpours and all sorts of weather to still stand proud on the Charlwood organic farm. Each fortnight when we went to the Northey St Markets to buy our veggies from the Charlwood stall we would hear how our dill babies were going. Due to all sorts of reasons (fabric delays etc) the shoot was put back yet another week or two and Di said she would do her best to keep them alive but the summer heat was upon us and my dill babies were starting to dry out and go to seed. So last weekend Di and Lisa (pictured below) harvested the dill, plonked them in a bucket of water and transported them to the markets along with all their usual things they had to pack. They are beautiful and perfect. I am so grateful to know such giving people who will go out of their way to help out, do a favour and grow something to be a prop in our shoot. 

So the styling has now been done, the outfits worked out and the shoes purchased to match the collection. I bury myself in the workroom with a selection of crystals and all the range around me. I don't come out till it's done.

This Thursday we shoot Bestowed collection #11.

Simple organic cotton garments made for our summer weather and the holiday season. I have designed a few new styles, also a fabric sling bag to become part of your outfit and carry the essentials. 

The production is in full swing and many of the styles are already being washed here at our studio in rainwater. 

Remember Bestowed is 100% Australian made, ethically and locally which is the most sustainable way. 

The complete collection will be launched late November/early December. 

I will post pics from the shoot prior to the release date on Instagram which can be viewed at the bottom of the home page on this website as well as on Instagram. 

Cheers

Sarah