Folklore Of The Forest

Inspired by nature, children’s literature and folklore, London-based artist Bell Hutley is known for her darkly romantic aesthetic, whimsical illustrations and arresting use of colour.

Her magical designs, on feature on covetable designs such as ‘Bell’s Beasties’, her colourful beetle motif and, in the ‘The Forest Floor’ collection, fairytale-style Aminata and Liberty Cap Mushrooms, willow trees and truffles. Now the Forest Floor meets Lulu Guinness in an exclusive collection infused with folklore and magic.

For this mini collection, the hero piece is The Forest Floor Bag. This quintessential Lulu basket-style bag evokes the magic of an enchanted forest. The folk-inspired piece features a satin pail with platinum metallic embroidery depicting the mycelium network under the forest floor, with rhinestones for water droplets.

The detailing is incredible. On the lid stand the velvet red toadstools adorned with white French knot spots. As ever, it’s all in the detail – note the twisted cord technique to illustrate the mushroom’s gills and gauze leaves with embroidered veins. Inside, the embroidered message reads: “I’ll a put a spell on you”.

“I was drawn to folklore for this collaboration with Lulu”, shares Bell. “In particular Baba Yaga’s forbidden forest from the Brothers' grims tales. How tempting treasures can have a dangerous twist. We wanted to capture the light and the dark of the forest floor. We wanted the designs to be tempting to you but with a feeling of danger and excitement.”

Other pieces in the collection include a bouclé Bibi with Forest Floor landscape embroidery and magical mushrooms. Smaller pieces include the vintage-inspired Frame Purse in mushroom red with white pearl stud embellishments, mushroom charm and embroidered satin pouch adorned with those red and white fungi again plus forest wildlife and the ‘I Put a Spell on You’ embroidered caption.

“Meeting Lulu last year on a late Autumn day in Stroud was a pretty profound moment”, says Bell. “I was blown away by how her mind worked and how she saw things. She could make a masterpiece out of even the most mundane of objects so I’m thrilled to collaborate on this collection.”

“I love Bell’s work”, says Lulu, who always likes to champion and collaborate with different artists. “Her illustrations are so detailed and delicate and I just adore the worlds she creates through her art”.


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