I’m Gillian Smellie. I am a magician who hand prints real leaves onto textiles. I offer unique items of clothing, many of which are upcycled, that are stylish, different and ecologically sound. This is not fast fashion, this is slow and delicious fashion that you can hand down to the next generation.
Eco prints harness the tannins in the leaves using heat, water and contact to transfer the image of the leaf onto fabric. It is a truly magical process and I never lose the excitement of opening up a bundle to discover what the leaves have given me. I am never quite sure what I will get, it is a little bit like Christmas every day.
I use the eco print process to transform simple items of clothing into wearable art, from striking dramatic black prints of huge sumac leaves to more subtle ghost like gingko leaves. I use both upcycled and new clothing blanks but all fabric is natural (silk, wool, linen, cotton) and I offer a wide range of sizes from UK8 to UK22. All baby clothes are new and organic cotton.
I am fortunate enough to have a huge range of trees and plants in my garden and the fields and woods around where I live in rural County Durham and all the leaves I use have been collected locally.
Whether you want to stand out from the crowd or are just looking for something a little different, please have a browse.