LONDON — Lulu Guinness, best known for her 1993 black satin flower basket, part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s permanent collection, has collaborated with artist Bell Hutley to create a collection inspired by the forest where Slavic folklore figure Baba Yaga resides.
Velvet-soft capped, spotted mushrooms dot the tops of black baskets embellished with silver diamanté mycelium roots while fungi bag charms are formed from knotted and studded leather.
While veering into darker territory compared to Guinness’ Living Rose Basket, which was released this past May at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, the witch-inspired collection points to themes of honoring nature and an abstract form of feminism.
After all, while Baba Yaga may be a child-eating crone who lives in a house that walks through the forest on chicken legs, she also represents women living on their own terms in harmony with the forest, according to Guinness.
Both artists have an appreciation for folklore, fairy tales and mystical creatures and characters from such tales, but they fell on Baba Yaga because her home is usually presented in the beautiful yet dangerous ancient woods.
An item from Lulu Guinness’s collaboration with artist Bell Hutley.
Courtesy of Lulu Guinness
Hutley, known for her whimsical and romantic hand-drawn designs which she prints onto tableware, said the duo’s aligned aesthetics drew her to fables.
“I love how misleading yet enticing Baba Yaga’s forest can be and mushrooms soon became the defining motif of our collaboration. Designing and co-creating this collection, we wanted the characterful, playfulness of fungi and the forest floor to shine through, with elements of darker, romantic tones seeping in,” she explained.
A piece from Lulu Guinness’s collaboration with artist Bell Hutley.
Courtesy of Lulu Guinness
This is the second launch from the brand after filing for bankruptcy protection in 2020 amidst the pandemic.
Founded in 1989, the designer’s original rose basket is a permanent part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s “The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997.” Guinness was appointed an OBE for services to fashion in 2006 by Queen Elizabeth II.