STORY 2
COLLABORATION WITH A PHOTOGRAPHER KAMILE STANISLOVAITYTE.
The idea of collaborating with Kamile was born a long time ago on a flight Vilnius - London. We both left our country for bigger dreams in the big city, but ended up creating an even bigger connection with our culture. We decided to mix portraits of Vilnius with feelings we got while living abroad and small paintings on the back to bring some cosiness.
On the T-shirt “ Homesick” you can see a view Kamile photographed from her home window. “Since coming to London two years ago I have connected with my own culture like never before, I have grown to appreciate everything that reminds me of home, which makes me wish I was back in Lithuania. This project is about being homesick, what it means to feel out of place and struggling to transition into adulthood and independence. Inspired by a Lithuanian photographer Algimantas Kuncius who captured memories and subtle evidence of Lithuanian culture through everyday objects and places during the Soviet Union censorship, I was looking for solace in objects, people and places that make me feel at home far away from home” (Kamile explains). Everyone can feel homesick, especially those, who can’t come back home when they want to. You can even be homesick, if you don’t know where your home is anymore. But we can search for all of this together, because home where the heart is. On the back of the T-shirt you will find a drawing of a house block and word “namai”.
T- shirt “ TO BE FREE? ‘‘ We all want to be free. Does not matter what your freedom is: to love, to be loved, to travel, freedom at your work, freedom to act, speak, create... All type of freedoms are important. Our freedom in quarantine is limited, but the memory of it stays with us, Kamile also captured her association what freedom is for her “Freedom for me is travelling. It’s a freedom to learn, to discover, to leave the comfort zone and experience something new. It‘s an opportunity to see yourself in a new light and challenge yourself, an opportunity to meet people who grew up and live in a completely different culture. Don’t forget to bring back a souvenir – a new outlook on life. Let this t-shirt be just that. In times like these, let’s stay positive and keep on dreaming about all the souvenirs we’ll bring back when the time is right.” Wear freedom and be free, even if you need to fight a bit for YOUR freedom. On the back of the T-shirt you will find a drawing of small heart and word “free”.
“Forest of love” pictures Lithuanians history and love of nature, forest. A lot of writers describe how close our culture is to nature, that Lithuanians go to the forest to cry, to calm down, find themselves or share happiness. As Maironis wrote in his poem “Anyksciu silelis” Lithuanians don’t even know why they are crying in the forests / when you go to the forest it opens your eyes, cheers you up, takes your heartbeat away. So, we wanted to remind Lithuanians how beautiful it is and how we are connected with nature. While searching for something - go to the forest and listen - it will help with anything. On the back of the t-shirt you will find a small drawing of a forest and word “meile”.
Our T-shirts are different not only because it actually tells a story, but of authentic pattern we created. Fabrics were picked carefully and everything was stitched and printed with love. With this we are also trying to make it sustainable - with pre- order method. It means that you will have time to pre - order it till specific time, and we will make only the same amount as ordered to limit wastage. Our packaging is eco and recyclable and made from eco paper. Each production run is unique as we source the most sustainable fabrics available to us at the time. However, the quality will always be premium, but we are open to your suggestion as well.