The lovely world of retail is remarkably small and surprisingly friendly. A delightful phone call with Sarah Meeke, Daydress staffer and long time friend of the shop, sees The Hambledon happily embarked on a project to showcase the collaboration between block print based fashion brand Daydress and pen and ink illustrator Caroline Kent, aka Scribble & Daub.
Gabby Deeming, then Creative Director at House & Garden, tacked a cheeky holiday onto the end of a work trip to Delhi, and spent a few days in Jaipur. This proved the formative visit that was the impetus for Daydress, founded in 2017. In Jaipur, a centre for the active textile scene in India, Gabby discovered artisans from block printers to hand-weavers with skills almost extinct in Europe
‘My head was turned by the piles upon piles of brightly coloured block-printed cottons for sale, so I picked a pretty one, took it to a tailor and asked him to make me a perfect shirt dress, with pockets, a tidy little collar and buttons all the way down the front, and that was the first Daydress.’
Gabby set about creating her own garments, exploring these crafts with her own unique block printed designs and by 2021 Daydress became her full time job. Intent on celebrating and elevating the block-printed dress, Gabby now spends 6 months of the year in Jaipur, working closely with a small, family run business to ensure the immaculate production of each piece.
With a background as a curator of contemporary art, illustrator Caroline Kent founded stationery brand Scribble & Daub in 2012, to create stylish cards and paper goods for gifting, hosting and correspondence. For those who still delight in handcrafted, tangible pieces as a remedy to the digital world, each card and decoration is letterpress printed in a traditional workshop from Caroline’s original dip pen and ink illustrations. One by one, each piece is loosely hand-painted using Andy Warhol's favourite inks in the brand’s East Sussex studio, creating tiny works of art to be given and treasured. Caroline has also created illustrations for clients including Dior, Mr & Mrs Smith and Vogue.
Gabby Deeming, then Creative Director at House & Garden, tacked a cheeky holiday onto the end of a work trip to Delhi, and spent a few days in Jaipur. This proved the formative visit that was the impetus for Daydress, founded in 2017. In Jaipur, a centre for the active textile scene in India, Gabby discovered artisans from block printers to hand-weavers with skills almost extinct in Europe
‘My head was turned by the piles upon piles of brightly coloured block-printed cottons for sale, so I picked a pretty one, took it to a tailor and asked him to make me a perfect shirt dress, with pockets, a tidy little collar and buttons all the way down the front, and that was the first Daydress.’
Gabby set about creating her own garments, exploring these crafts with her own unique block printed designs and by 2021 Daydress became her full time job. Intent on celebrating and elevating the block-printed dress, Gabby now spends 6 months of the year in Jaipur, working closely with a small, family run business to ensure the immaculate production of each piece.
With a background as a curator of contemporary art, illustrator Caroline Kent founded stationery brand Scribble & Daub in 2012, to create stylish cards and paper goods for gifting, hosting and correspondence. For those who still delight in handcrafted, tangible pieces as a remedy to the digital world, each card and decoration is letterpress printed in a traditional workshop from Caroline’s original dip pen and ink illustrations. One by one, each piece is loosely hand-painted using Andy Warhol's favourite inks in the brand’s East Sussex studio, creating tiny works of art to be given and treasured. Caroline has also created illustrations for clients including Dior, Mr & Mrs Smith and Vogue.
Gabby says:
‘During a classic Sunday morning Insta scroll last September, I was stopped in my tracks by an image of an amazing invitation Caroline designed. It was a giant hot pink cocktail surrounded by her fabulous writing and it suddenly struck me that her brilliant scribbles and daubs would translate perfectly into really original block prints and of course dresses. Normally I let ideas percolate, but I sent her a message immediately!’
And Caroline says:
‘There are occasional, glorious moments in life when it feels like the universe conspires to deliver you a dream, and Gabby's message out of the blue last year suggesting a collaboration was one of those. I’ve long had a love and fascination for block printing, the combination of intricate line and joyously irregular colour is a technique that so closely mirrors mine, it seemed an obvious direction to take, and I longed to, but hadn’t the faintest idea where to begin. Gabby has introduced me to her brilliant team, and held my hand through the whole process - as a result, we’ve created some timeless, beautiful pieces and forged a wonderful friendship. It has been incredible to see my designs brought to life in this way and I’m sure they won’t be the last!’
In spite of all the xs in this collaboration, it is a very simple, and from our point of view very flattering, proposition. Gabby and Caroline bring their creativity and beauty and we bring the bricks and mortar space. We are extremely proud to be the only physical shop in the UK to be carrying this collection. As well as beautiful womenswear, there is also a capsule table linen collection, perfect for the Summer.
Gabby says:
‘During a classic Sunday morning Insta scroll last September, I was stopped in my tracks by an image of an amazing invitation Caroline designed. It was a giant hot pink cocktail surrounded by her fabulous writing and it suddenly struck me that her brilliant scribbles and daubs would translate perfectly into really original block prints and of course dresses. Normally I let ideas percolate, but I sent her a message immediately!’
And Caroline says:
‘There are occasional, glorious moments in life when it feels like the universe conspires to deliver you a dream, and Gabby's message out of the blue last year suggesting a collaboration was one of those. I’ve long had a love and fascination for block printing, the combination of intricate line and joyously irregular colour is a technique that so closely mirrors mine, it seemed an obvious direction to take, and I longed to, but hadn’t the faintest idea where to begin. Gabby has introduced me to her brilliant team, and held my hand through the whole process - as a result, we’ve created some timeless, beautiful pieces and forged a wonderful friendship. It has been incredible to see my designs brought to life in this way and I’m sure they won’t be the last!’
In spite of all the xs in this collaboration, it is a very simple, and from our point of view very flattering, proposition. Gabby and Caroline bring their creativity and beauty and we bring the bricks and mortar space. We are extremely proud to be the only physical shop in the UK to be carrying this collection. As well as beautiful womenswear, there is also a capsule table linen collection, perfect for the Summer.
