We popped to Bristol to catch up with new boutique on the block Leafric and find out a bit more about their hand-painted prints. Learn what inspires them and what we'll be seeing them upload come AW13...
Who, what and where is Leafric?
We are Jamaican born and Bristol based sisters Sashana and Melissa Miller. We have always been described as pretty much two different sides of the same coin as we have very similar interests but with completely different takes to everything. Leafric is basically our creative brain-baby a combination of our shared love for style and art.
You're based in Bristol – how does that inspire you?
Bristol is such a vibrant city with a growing creative culture. Our studio is right in the heart of Bristol’s art community, which has an entire street dedicated to art displays that are constantly changing, so we are always coming across something new and interesting which really inspires us with our prints and designs in general. We also get a lot of inspiration for our prints from trawling through junk shops for interesting old trinkets with shapes that we can transfer into our stencils.
How long does it take you to complete an item?
We are quite fast working, so it really varies. We put a lot of heart into our work so we can end up spending hours painting just one item. Our hand painted shorts and blouses for instance take about an hour and a half to two hours just to paint add the print to each pair.
Tell us about your typical working day!
A typical day in The Leafric Studio will see us working away doing our, sketches, pattern making or printing while singing along to the most random soundtrack that you can imagine. Honestly, some of our best designs have come to us at the very moment that the music skips from Marilyn Manson to Dion and the Belmont!
Who do you picture wearing Leafric? What does she like to do, and what music does she listen to?
The Leafric girl is a 22-27 year old independent woman who likes to be classy with a sexy/quirky edge to her style. She likes to stand out in a crowd and shows her individuality through how she dresses...with a new aged retro vibe thrown in for good measure! Her music quite eclectic, and shuffles between the latest Jessie J hit to old school Fleetwood Mac.
What have you got coming up for autumn?
Well you’ll have to wait and see... But our A/W collection is all about layers we have lots of deep dark prints and separates that are in-keeping with our classic cuts, but with a sexier and edgier feel to them.
Your best-selling piece?
Our best selling items are our hand painted shorts and '90s style leggings. I think that’s because they are so easy to dress up or down depending on the occasion.
Suitably inspired? Head over to the Leafric boutique and check out their latest designs.