The Autumn Equinox collection is here

Organic tees, sweats, totes and prints - super soft and sustainably made

The wheel of the year is turning. There is a stillness, a quietude beneath the last of the summer warmth, and I’m beginning to eye up my cardigans with glee. And with one week to go until the equinox, today I am delighted to announce the launch of my second collection from Papaver, my slow fashion brand inspired by the magic of the natural world.

Old Bones | Organic Womens Tee in Sage

The inspiration for this collection was drawn from seasonal changes as the energy of autumn brings old cycles to an end on the night of Samhain, the pagan precursor to Halloween. This is a time when the veil between our world and the next is at its thinnest; a time to honour our ancestors and reflect inwards. The first design in the new collection was inspired by this liminal space as well as the skeletons in our collective human closet. Old Bones is a salute to seven extinct species sent to their graves at the hands of mankind, either through hunting, persecution, habitat loss, climate change or other factors. The numbers beside them are the dates of their last confirmed sightings.

Good Gourd | Organic Hoodie in Oat

Halloween is without doubt my favourite time of year. I love the autumn season, the cosy horror, the childhood memories of parties and pumpkins. So the Good Gourd design is a happy one to honour my love for spooky season, featuring eleven different gourds, each beautiful in their own unique way. I have also expanded into organic hoodies and sweatshirts, because how could I not create cosy pieces for the cosiest season of all? They are dreamy to wear, super soft and comfortable - and as always, each piece is printed using eco inks in a renewable-powered factory, just over the water on the Isle of Wight.

Three Hares | Organic Womens Tee in Sage

Have you ever spotted the ancient Three Hares symbol? It appears in sacred spaces all over the world, from the churches of Dartmoor to the synagogues of Germany, all the way to the Buddhist cave temples of Dunhuang, China. Although each hare has two ears, between them they have only three, which are shared at the centre of the design. I love the magic and mystery associated with this symbol, and felt it deserved a place in the equinox collection, sprinkled with moons and stars.

Squash the Patriarchy | Organic Tote in Natural

Do you love gender equality? Do you live for spooky season? Celebrate both with this gourd-geous design. And guess what? If clothes aren’t your thing, you can now also buy all my new designs as recycled art prints! I’ve popped this one on my daughter’s wall because it’s never too early to instil the importance of feminism.

Midnight Orchard | Organic Womens Tee in Sage

Last but not least, the Midnight Orchard design is a manifestation of my dream to cultivate my own orchard one day. The buzz of bees and hornets on windfall apples; the sweetness of pears and the fragrance of rotting sugar; the chance to make my own cider! It will happen, friends, but until then you can celebrate the magic of an autumn orchard with this colourful design, complete with four species of moth and a hornet drunk on fermented apples.

I’m so proud of how these pieces are made, especially in a world where fast fashion is abundant and it’s easy to forget where our clothes come from. Feel free to have a browse and treat yourself to something cosy for the autumn season - or see below for the rest of this week’s newsletter, including a few recommendations and what I’ve written about for paid subscribers on the Margin:

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Something I Made - Women on Nature edited by Katharine Norbury

I was honoured to contribute to this beautiful anthology that came out in 2021 with Unbound, sharing the pages with some of my favourite writers from the past and present, including Amy Liptrot, Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Sinead Gleeson and Jini Reddy. It’s perfect for dipping into as the landscape starts to mutate into its most beautiful form (in my opinion).

Something I Like - The Girlfriends podcast

My sister recommended this to me and I just finished it today. It’s a true crime story about an abusive husband in the eighties, but it’s also brimming with hope and solidarity between the women he left behind, as well as loads of funny Jewish women who I would love to have coffee with.

Recipe of the Week - Warm Spelt, Shallot & Goat’s Cheese Salad

The late summer to early autumn shift is a weird one for food. It’s still warm, but that fresh change in the air calls for comfort. This recipe is the perfect middle ground - a warm salad made with nutty spelt grains and creamy goat’s cheese. It fills you up without overdoing it, and the mint leaves lift every other flavour off the plate.