An Interview with Boutiq

It all began after travelling to India during our university summer holiday: the time we fell in love with hand block printing, an ancient technique synonymous with the region of Rajasthan. Blown away by the time, care and multi-generational talent passed down from this craft, we really wished to share it with the world and keep the artisanal tradition alive.

 

After graduating university and spending some time working in the luxury sector, we soon realised there was very little that was sustainable and unique about the luxury fashion world, bored by the muted tones and dulled down designs so often used. With a love for colour, sustainability and entrepreneurship, we also realised there was nothing we wanted more than to bring our passions to life.

 

Despite the pandemic and living miles apart, Sophie in the seaside corner of Cornwall, and me on the coast of the Algarve: the moment we were both placed on furlough, we took the plunge of creating our own luxury and sustainable fashion brand: two words which often don’t go hand in hand. 

Me and Sophie have always have a fond love towards the beach: hearing the waves, walking bare foot across the sand, breathing in the salty sea breeze; there really is nothing more wonderful for the soul! We find that all of our inspirations come from the shores of wherever we find ourselves, from the rugged English coastline to tropical islands far away. 

 

Our most creative times come when we are outside, enjoying the sun and taking in the fresh air. If we ever feel overwhelmed, or unable to finish a project, taking a step back and spending time close to nature always seems to revive our energy. You can never force an idea for a design: but thats not to say we don’t enjoy time spent browsing Pinterest!

Luxury fashion is churned out on mass every season to meet the current trend. The idea that something is fashionable for only one season is totally unsustainable and is something we need to change our mindsets on. When creating Anegada, it was of utmost importance that we created a business tailored not just to the customer, but to the artisans and environment as well.

 

When designing our garments, our main priority was to use natural, quality materials. We wanted to embrace the cherish forever ethos, and so each garment is slowly crafted from GOTS certified organic cotton, whilst also using azo free dyes. This certification means not only that our cotton is organic and not treated with chemicals, but also that the working conditions are safe and fair wages are paid.

 

On a few garments we have buttons: here, we’ve decided to use shell ones to avoid plastic. Being plastic free means that if you put our garments into a compost heap at the end of their life, they would completely decompose in five months time. Finally, all the materials used for our packaging is sourced from fully certified FSC registered mills, with all ink being vegetable ink. All packaging can be fully recycled.