I had been eagerly awaiting the first brand photography session for Flora Percival ever since I met founder Harriet for coffee earlier in the year. I have never had so much fun talking about knitwear over an Earl Grey on a rainy day! OK, so the chances of those 3 things aligning might not be frequent, but it matters not, I left that meeting feeling like I’d met a long standing friend for coffee and we just happend to chat about her knitwear dreams along the way.
I felt sorry for those ladies lunching around who couldn’t join in with the pure joy the pair of us were experiencing!
With this edition of ‘On Location’ come spend a bit of time discovering the character behind the brand of Flora Pervical
From the Heart of Somerset
If you want to meet someone with true enthusiasm for the products they deliver, then Harriet would need to be on your list. Flora Pervical was born from a desire to offer ethical and sustainable knitwear and accessories, that provided support to British suppliers, producers and manufacturers and offered a positive course for the planet, rather than a pocket greed – and all delivered from the heart of the Somerset Levels.
Welcome to Rural Vogue.
Quintessentially You
Harriet and her family have a lust for outdoor life. We aren’t just talking about those gentile hand in hand, meanders down a pretty footpath by a river – we’re talking a family who talk about Welly Wanging, who don’t just dip a toe in a puddle, they leap upwards with a knee tuck in gleeful anticipation of the cascades of muddy water that will result. The kind of people who evoke memories of feeding the chickens on a calm Sunday morning then chasing next doors naughty sheep back into their field with a jumper wrapped around the waist and giggling against the gate once it’s been slammed shut to keep those wooly backs in (or out)!
With this family there’s a feel of soggy dogs wafting round your legs, while holding a fast melting ice cream in one hand and cuddly toy in the other – all the while while wearing beautiful, timeless, ethically created British knitwear that breathes like you do.
It’s a quintessential British country look that doesn’t apologise for the simplicity or the comfort it deliveres.
…and why should it!
Goodbye to Fast Fashion
I grew up in an era of hand-me-downs. A time when siblings and cousins all wore the same cardigans/coats and knitted vests at some point in their lives. Family photograph albums show the journey a cardi went on through various households. There was something comforting and reliable about the process. Even today in recent times I’ve ‘inherited’ some wonderful pieces of knitwear.
Flora Percival offers a modern outlook on all of this with products and designs that will enable those family traditions. The pieces in the collection will provide a comforting, encouraging feel while apple bobbing or nurturing feel while gardening, yet still looking great taking a trip through fashionable hotspots like Bath or Cheltenham or sat upon the quayside eating fish & chips after a weekend sailing around Isle of Wight.
Good knitwear is invaluable.
Great knitwear that sustains a multitude of makes, creators, producers and then wearers – well, thats a Brand like Flora Percival
Harriet wants people to not be afraid of knitwear and to embrace it’s qualities. No to fret about caring for wool pieces and to enjoy wearing something that’s been created through sheer joy and will last a lifetime.
We had so much fun shooting one summer’s evening and I can’t WAIT to return to continue to create images that show the heart and soul that lies beneath the not so scratchy exterior…..
You’ll find their website here and their social media channels are below in the icons.
