The romantic-yet-practical cottage-core trend dominated this year of low-key, I-want-to-wear-something-other-than-trackies-but-don’t-want-to-put-in-any-additional-effort looks, with easy, comfy day-dresses and buttondowns making up the majority of our wardrobes as we swung between working-from-home and working-from-work, and started making increasingly less-socially-distanced dates.
It tracks, then, that as the year draws to a (somewhat merciful) close, a cohort of cool Kiwi brands are delivering peak nostalgia with a gingham collaboration that’ll transport you straight to the cornfields of Kansas. Or at least your grandparents’ farm in the provinces.
A charming capsule that forms part of a wider collection built around the relationships between mothers and daughters, Mina’s latest SS21 drop features a number of gingham styles — including sundresses and pyjama-like separates perfect for bed or the beach — which designer Natalie Procter hopes will “transcend generations” by evoking “the sentimentality of picnic memories, or nanny’s homewares”.
To celebrate the launch of these sentimental styles and shine a light on other small Kiwi businesses that share her brand values of community, nurtured supply chains and thoughtfully made offerings, Procter has teamed up with Kōkako Coffee Roasters, The Caker, and ceramics-makers Wundaire on a small range of gingham-themed products, perfect for Christmas gifting or as an end-of-year pick-me-up.
Available now direct from each maker and at minaforher.com, let the limited edition gingham ceramics by Wundaire, gingham-frosted cake from The Caker and gingham-wrapped coffee bean bags from Kōkako add some cottage-core flair to your Christmas or picnic table setting, and take you and your guests back to simpler times.
