A Natural Process
Botanical dye-house Beagle + Basset partner with artist Alice Toich for a collection of unique silk scarves
Photography & Video David Nivison Photography Jacobus Snyman Face Jade Klara
Using plant matter and pure plant extracts, Woodstock-based Beagle + Basset create unique hand-dyed products from organic silk and linen. Owner, Genna Shrosbree, experiments with indigenous plant extracts to create beautiful collections of napery, clothing pieces and more recently, silk scarves.
Using plant matter and pure plant extracts, Woodstock-based Beagle + Basset create unique hand-dyed products from organic silk and linen. Owner, Genna Shrosbree, experiments with indigenous plant extracts to create beautiful collections of napery, clothing pieces and more recently, silk scarves.
Partnering with Cape Town artist Alice Toich, Beagle + Basset have released a limited range of hand-dyed and hand-painted silk scarves. Dyed to three different colours in the Beagle + Basset studio, black wattle created a dusty blush, madder root resulted in a bold red and acacia bark dyed the silk to a rusty brown.
‘The process of extracting pigment from plants is one that takes patience and care.’
– Genna Shrosbree
‘The process of extracting pigment from plants is one that takes patience and care.’
– Genna Shrosbree
‘The collaboration is one that celebrates time and patience, it’s been something we have conversed about for some time, taking each step gracefully and letting it fall into place the way it should.’ – Alice Toich
Once the silk pieces were dyed, Alice, known for her oil paintings of flowers and fruit, used iron water, which acts as a reactive to the botanical dyes, and Indian ink to paint the individual scarves. An avid nature-lover, Alice happily painted outdoors, working in fields and forests that inspired the project.
Partnering with Cape Town artist Alice Toich, Beagle + Basset have released a limited range of hand-dyed and hand-painted silk scarves. Dyed to three different colours in the Beagle + Basset studio, black wattle created a dusty blush, madder root resulted in a bold red and acacia bark dyed the silk to a rusty brown.
‘The process of extracting pigment from plants is one that takes patience and care.’
– Genna Shrosbree
Once the silk pieces were dyed, Alice, known for her oil paintings of flowers and fruit, used iron water, which acts as a reactive to the botanical dyes, and Indian ink to paint the individual scarves. An avid nature-lover, Alice happily painted outdoors, working in fields and forests that inspired the project.
‘The collaboration is one that celebrates time and patience, it’s been something we have conversed about for some time, taking each step gracefully and letting it fall into place the way it should.’ – Alice Toich
For her paintings, Alice took her cue from the colours of each natural dye. The silk dyed with madder root inspired burnt red proteas, left behind after Cape Town’s recent fires. On the rusty brown, dyed with acacia bark, Alice painted tall trees while the dusty blush, tinted from the black wattle extract, was the perfect canvas for branches and flowers.
For her paintings, Alice took her cue from the colours of each natural dye. The silk dyed with madder root inspired burnt red proteas, left behind after Cape Town’s recent fires. On the rusty brown, dyed with acacia bark, Alice painted tall trees while the dusty blush, tinted from the black wattle extract, was the perfect canvas for branches and flowers.
The result of this beautiful collaboration is a limited collection of 30 individually hand-dyed and hand-painted, organically certified silk scarves (10 available in each colour). Alice says, ‘The organic colour and tonality will change over time when exposed to certain elements, just like life.’
The result of this beautiful collaboration is a collection of individually hand-dyed and hand-painted organically certified silk scarves, made in a limited range of 30, with just 10 available in each colour. ‘The organic colour and tonality will change over time when exposed to certain elements, just like life.’ – Alice Toich
