THE STYLISH STUFF: PROJECT BOHO

9th July 2017

Social media. Whether you love it, hate it or are simply enjoying the view – for me, it’s been a wonderful introduction to a lot of talented and creative people.

A few years ago illustrator Niki Groom aka @miss_magpie-spy introduced me via Instagram to Nuala, owner of the label Daughter of a Bohemian and thus began a serious denting of my bank balance and a creative communing that has resulted in an exciting collaboration coming soon to Bloomsbury. The Daughter of a Bohemian Concept store offers smaller brands the opportunity to rent space within the dreamy interior of a historic townhouse opposite the British Museum. With a boutique coffee shop on the ground floor to attract passers by, the stairs then climb through three floors featuring cleverly curated buys for home, womenswear and children’s clothes. From hand made macramé bags and plant pots by Cocoon & Me to bright artisan bedspreads boasting subtle gilt paisley designs from Dilli Grey, the store offers a luxury experience of off-piste, smaller designers at accessible price points.

Daughter of a Bohemian – known for hand-beaded, hand-painted and embroidered bespoke pieces, the premise of DOAB, whilst slowing fashion down, is also to create ‘treasured items’ that will stand the test of time. The concept store is Nuala’s brainchild which she sees as “a creative hub and platform to help like-minded brands, modern artisans and artists to showcase their work and get exposure. Through their shared networks they help promote each other and ‘The Daughters’ help promote through PR, shoots and an amazing pool of contacts that they have amassed through years of experience in their respective fields. Many of our labels do not have their own websites as they are small home-grown businesses and therefore their main sales platform is Instagram. The interdependent concept gives them a chance to meet and engage with their customers in a unique way”.

Shown here the embroidered camouflage sweatshirt from Daughter of a Bohemian. @daughterofabohemian

Featured below, t-shirt by Viva la Vandal, a street wear label formed in collaboration with Aroe, a world renowned graffiti artist who Nuala grew up close to in her youth. Because of her love of fusing street style with heavily embellished pieces (as shown here from her Katachi collection), the shop features a delicious mix of both and indeed showcases some of Aroe’s work in the space itself. Instagram @viva_la_vandal @aroe_heavyartillery

Featured below; Viva la Vandal tee and Daughter of a Bohemian hand painted track pants.

Featured below; outfit as before, bag by Cocoon & Me.

Featured below; Katachi embellished cropped top, Daughter of a Bohemian hand-painted camouflage pants.

Cocoon & me – working with planet-friendly materials such as jute, rope and other recycled textile yarns, designer and stylist Paula uses macrame, crochet and knitting to produce a range of original hand-made fashion accessories and stunning pieces for the home and garden. Her bespoke work is featured in many contemporary cafes and restaurants and her beautiful plant container cocoons are perfectly timed to work with the renaissance for plants in the home – especially amongst trendy, young urbanites. Instagram @cocoonandme

The bohemian bag of dreams….imagine it in a rainbow choice of colours. Perfect worn with anything denim. SOLD (erm, to me)

Dilli grey

Designed by Vickie El Rayyes – this is a modern edit of the the best Indian artisanal wares for your home and lifestyle needs. Light, airy designs with a smattering of girly boho, the collection boasts the kind of throws, duvets and beach cover ups that become a ‘must’ rather than an indulgence. Instagram @dilli_grey

Florence Rose wearing the best selling embroidered white kaftan from Dilli Grey.

When I first discovered Stories of Poem on Instagram and subsequently posted an image of me wearing my beautiful hand-made piece, it’s safe to say that designer Helen O’Sullivan was besieged by requests from embellishment hungry fans, desperate for a piece to whisk off on their summer travels. From kimonos to kaftans, these are beautiful, bespoke and very affordable. Because she juggles the making of them with raising her children, it takes time for her to make your purchase, BUT they are definitely worth the wait and bring a hit of gorgeous colour to every wardrobe. The good news is that you will be able to shop a capsule collection of the brand at the concept store from the end of July. Instagram @storiesofpoem

Featured below; Daughter of a Bohemian embroidered kimono and Dilli Grey white, embroidered kaftan.

Lisa Taylor – a destination for the stylish, passionate and the caring shopper, Lisa is committed to recycling and known for her beautiful kantha scarves, vintage saris and embellished printed separates. She’s worked with many high street brands creating exclusive collections for them and is stocked in many luxury boutiques around the UK. No two prints or colours are the same and with the up-cycled offerings you truly are buying into something totally unique. Instagram @luckylisat

Katachi – means ‘shape’ in Japanese and is Nuala’s first brand from back in the late 90’s. It was a great success and sold in iconic shops of the time, such as Koh Samui. The emphasis is on beautiful silk printed and embellished pieces that are perfect for jet setting, boho babes. The store will see an edited re-launch of the key pieces which will be exclusively available at the Daughter of a Bohemian concept store.

Featured below; Katachi printed wrap skirt, Nix beaded & chain bracelet and Cocoon & Me plant holder

Featured below: Katachi embellished top and Daughter of a Bohemian mirror embroidered camou-pants.

Nix – hand-made in Cornwall by Niki Calvet, this is bright, beaded wrist adornment for those who like to up their colour game.

Atticus & Gilda – just gorgeous luxury children’s nightwear and accessories. If you know of a ‘new addition’ this is most definitely your pitstop for a pretty present. Instagram @atticusandgilda