Our Linen Story, featuring the Hulbert House
Love stories aren’t simple – they are a tale of past, present, and future at play.
So too, should the dress a woman wears be a symbol of time...
This winter we are releasing a small collection of gowns for the sentimental woman, speaking to the values of ethical creation, re-purpose, and timeless narratives.
Owner, designer and stylist Trudy Munro had long harboured a dream to stitch together a new story for gathered linens she had sourced around the world, and now finding herself owner of ample fabric supplies from a deceased estate years later, she has been gifted the opportunity to actualise her vision.
Taking heritage linens and carefully unpicking their intricacies, Trudy and her team have honoured the skilful craft of their fabric forebears; redefining tradition by transforming regal linens into modern masterpieces that celebrate an age old fabric and it’s function.
The workroom is always drawing upon a minimal-waste approach to making, opposing the current reality of fast fashion undermining the integrity of fabric quality. This collection also seeks to share a new message with this new generation about the character of linen – moving it from the realm of festival dwelling bohemians, to one of regal and historical origins.
“Think Downton Abbey. At the time these linens were created it was prestigious to have a linen press in your home,” says Trudy. “It was an era when households had servants, laundered by hand, only brought out the linen to accompany the most precious china and crystal, and monogrammed them for the family to hand down through generations.”
The common occurrence of inherited linen supplies also widens the capacity to make bespoke gowns for people who wish to have an affinity with the process, carrying a treasured family possession into a new era as opposed to leaving it lying dormant in a dusty box under the bed.
The ‘waste not want not’ mentality of earlier times has also been embraced throughout the making process, with no scraps being left behind. Intricate crafted lace edgings have even been unpicked and resigned for the bodice of one of the gowns. “Weddings can be so extravagant and wasteful, so this project is about doing what we can to educate and change the story, and there’s nothing like wearing natural fibres – they just feel fabulous.”
Equal parts intricate detailing, feminine cuts, and classical elegance the designs favour a contemporary aesthetic while mingling with traditional fabric and sentiment. And with titles like Marrakech, Santorini and Nevada each gown explores the aesthetic of a signature place, as opposed to just bearing a girl’s name as many bridal collections often do.
This new approach to bridal design ensures the life of your heritage will keep circuiting on and on, so when 2050 rolls around and your grandchildren are mapping out the family narrative as they look at pictures of your big day they won’t just see a younger you, but the unknown details of their past sitting snug around your gorgeous bod.
written by @rosiefea