From Scottish heritage to contemporary looms - Araminta Campbell
It always leaves me with a feeling of joy and gratitude to witness the extraordinary beauty that a young, contemporary brand gives out to the world, while having its roots firmly planted in the still more than fertile soil of its own heritage.
It’s the case of this young, beautiful, Scottish woman, who embraces and nurtures her culture and her heritage to the point of creating such an inspiring reality: contemporary designs supported by centuries of tradition and expertise, built by the wisdom of the hands and the warmth of the heart and soul.
In fact, what is innovation if not tradition in eternal movement?
Araminta Campbell is an extraordinary example of how a single and touchable item can provide an enrichment far beyond its material shape. A single item that not only recounts the most authentic savoir-faire of an ancient territorial tradition, but elevates it as an immortal witness of a coutry’s culture and many people’s ideals of sustainability, conscious production and symbiosis with a territory. All this is a golden treasure for Araminta and those like her who feel part of some greater common purpose.
Araminta’s Edimburgh studio.
The production is extremely concentrated on Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. In her studio Araminta studies exquisite new interpretations of traditional patterns, which take the shape of scarves, shawls, furniture textiles or custom made productions through manual work on the wooden looms (See img. above, aren’t they beautiful?).
The extraordinary Scottish landscapes have been the fil-rouge of the young Araminta's inspiration since the beginning, not of her brand, but of her life. A girl, then a woman who grew up looking at the Beauty of her land and its resources as a precious gift to be protected and safeguarded, to the point of founding her own ©Slow Luxury brand Araminta Campbell in 2014.
“I have always loved beautiful things, but not material items; it is often a moment in time, sunlight through leaves or hidden textures of the Scottish landscape.”
Araminta is a young and radiant woman, whom I thank on behalf of all this community of Beauty lovers, for choosing to follow her artistic impulse and combine it with so much love for her land and the admirable perseverance to learn an ancient and complex technique. Nothing but magic can result from such dedication!
A pine needle, a blade of grass, the movement of leaves, a smell, a ray of light hitting the dew.. all this is translated into a design, then takes shape in Araminta's looms.
The slow production is 100% local, under the eye of Araminta and in the expert, wise hands of the craftsmen who bring these brethtaking items to life.
The “Signature” collection.
Each handwoven item in the Signature Collection is unique, with designs ignited by a love of the Scottish nature; in fact, each one-off piece clearly recalls the colours and shapes of the Scottish landscape, from which Araminta constantly draws inspiration.
This collection is a riot of patterns, designs, and colour experiments that take the beauty of traditional Scottish texiles patterns to another level.
The “Heritage” collection.
Scottish tweed and tartan textures are familiar to everyone. These have always been linked not only to a sense of quality, but also to inclusiveness: anyone can wear these textiles and proudly contribute to telling a common story, or become part of it.
Indeed, those of you who follow my personal Instagram profile already have an idea of the Heritage Collection, since I recently took one of the scarves from this collection on a tour of Rome.
Made from carefully sourced lambswool, the “Heritage” handwoven line draws on the rich heritage of Scottish textiles; one piece can take up to three weeks to make!
img. me wearing the Heritage scarf
Ph. Francesca Basili
Tartan, tweed and more..
..of the most exquisite Scottish textiles are the protagonists of the dreamlike stories Araminta tells through the items, with their enveloping softness that warms as much as a hug. Araminta’s Signature Collections are entirely handwoven with the softest British alpaca.
Each item is slowly handwoven by skilled craftsmen in small workshops, far from the noise and rhythms that, in the meantime, are racking up in the fashion world we all know. A distant noise that, fortunately, does not belong to everyone. Araminta Campbell’s mantra is all about producing pieces that stand the test of time and generations, that are not fashion-orientated or mass-produced.
Meet Araminta.. the Alpaca!
Araminta Campbell has always led the way when it comes to sustainability and traceability.
That's why since the beginning she has been carefully (and lovingly!) following the processes of breeding and shearing of the Alpacas.
Meet Araminta, the alpaca. She is an incredibly inquisitive creature! Well socialised, she is an incredibly confident young alpaca who is happy to roam in the herd rather than staying by mum’s side! Shearing is incredibly important for alpaca as it not only prevents overheating of the animal but also prevents the matting of fleece causing painful skin conditions.
During the “cria shearing process”, both her head and tail fleece will be left longer as alpacas recognise their offspring by smell so this will help Perdy, her mum, to recognise Araminta, even she looks different.
(YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THE STORY OF ARAMINTA -THE ALPACA- IN THE JOURNAL)
I'll quickly take you back in time, when I had a few pieces from the Signature Collection shipped all the way to Florence, where we photographed them under the sunset light in the magical frame of Piazzale Michelangelo and all around the historical city.
Ph. Caterina Gualtieri
Where Time is needed, there is a guarantee of quality, love, passion and Beauty. The Time needed to master a technique, to evolve it, to use it to create an object of extraordinary intrinsic value, which will last just as long (Each piece is one-of-a-kind and can take between three days and three weeks to create.). The value of slowness and time is one of the most essential values we need to rediscover as a society. At a time when everything seems to be dictated by an incessant and, honestly, exhausting need for speed and replaceability, it is heartening to know that somewhere in the world there are people like Araminta and her team of equally wonderful humans, who add, with their most personal interpretation of culture and heritage, an essential piece to the re-education of all of us to the understanding and the embracement of this immense value.
Araminta Campbell
Website | E-shop: www.aramintacampbell.co.uk
Instagram: @aramintacampbell