2019 Collection Photo Shoot
In March this year after much consultation, many phone calls and much organisation between all parties involved, we packed up our traps and headed for Camden on the outskirts of Sydney for the 2019 LoveMerino Photo shoot. This was a very exciting couple of days with the many people involved in the latest LoveMerino production.
We came to a consensus that we should do an outdoor shoot for this collection. Given the time constraints and the ongoing drought we decided the perfect spot would be the historic Belgenny farm site suggested by our Stylist Lara. John and Elizabeth Macarthur established this site as their home farm in 1805. It is part of the original 5,000 acres granted to the family by Lord Camden. They originally named it ‘Camden’ and then ‘Camden Park’. The name ‘Belgenny’ came much later, in recognition of the Aboriginal name for the site.
Arriving at the site bright and early at 7am, Norm, Daisy and I were delighted to find such a beautiful setting for our shoot. The morning was very brisk and fresh - just the type of weather for wearing a LoveMerino scarf or Pashmino (our version of a Pashmina - to emphasise our gorgeous 100% SRS fine Merino).
In trundled the team. Amanda McLauchlan our talented photographer and her assistant Rebecca Rosconi for the day, Lara, our very elegant stylist and her assistant Nicole, Karen Davis and Pepa Martin our designers from Shibori, Stanmore, Ian and Pip with baby Sophie who stole the show with her natural modelling ability (which I personally think she inherited from her mother!) Most importantly of course we had our beautiful model for 2019, Jira Kohl from Scoop Management, Woollahra.
After getting to know each other and setting up, the team had a brief walk around the surroundings of Belgenny farm to scout locations for the shots whilst the beautiful Nikki Simpson, hair & makeup applied her magic to Jira which really was not necessary in my humble opinion! Nikki of course is a complete professional and the next thing you know we have “Voila” – hair and make- up for Jira is complete!
In the back ground there was a constant flurry of activity. With Lara in charge there was a lot going on! Lists were being consulted, props being set up, products and Jira’s clothing being unpacked, hung, counted, ironed and laid out, then ironed again, lists double checked and attended to by Pepa and Karen, makeup and hair an ongoing process. Let me tell you, it does not just magically happen! Sophie was quite happy in the green room getting herself prepared by having her mid-morning snack and snooze. Daisy happily wandered around exploring the surroundings, chatting to herself, and Pepa, played with the ant nests that seemed to be building up - a sign of rain in our everyday life back on the farm. Amanda and Bec busily set up cameras, screens and stands and checked light measurements. Norm cruised around looking slightly out of place on a photo shoot but never the less ensuring he was available to assist in any way and that all was in order.
All of a sudden it was all game on and off we went from product to product. Model Jira to model Sophie both absolutely stunning of course. Location to location, Lara and Amanda with their offsiders were fabulous. The day went off without a hitch. The weather was picture perfect - just for us we decided, the perfect light for photography. We really were blessed. Delicious morning tea and lunch were provided and delivered by Chris from The Argyle Gourmet, Camden; and before I could say, “Sophie’s my niece” it was a wrap.
Many, many thanks to the whole team for a wonderful, productive and successful day, and to Belgenny farm for providing the picturesque setting. Tired but happy, we packed up our traps and headed off into the sunset, over the Blue Mountains and back to Glenwood.
We hope you love our Love Merino 2019 collection. The products are truly so beautiful, so soft and comfortingly warm against your skin.
Our scarves and Pashmino’s are part of our beautiful ranges, the “Classic” and the “Shibori” design. The Shibori design is a collectable item with only fifty made of each colour and design. You will notice a new knit for this collection. Knitted individually on a flat- bed machine, this approach is called piece knitting, with a fine intricate weave. In a word - divine! Every item has a superbly elegant finish and individual dyeing is by Karen and Pepa from Shibori in Stanmore. We just know you will love them as much as we do.
In addition to our Scarves and Pashminos we have introduced a couple of other collections to LoveMerino. The “Pepa” throws, the “Sophie” baby wraps, the “Marnie” neck warmers and the “Florence” shrugs that are made out of the Merino jersey fabric as with the previous two collections. These are produced from a circular knit machine and are again as soft as butter and so warm against your skin. We also hope you will love these products in the collection.
Thank you for your support, until next time, take care and enjoy LoveMerino
Love Pip xxx
PS: A little plug for all of our partners in the collection as below!
Pepa Martin & Karen Davis: Designers/Artists - www.shibori.com.au
Belgenny Farm: Location - www.belgennyfarm.com.au
Lara Hutton: Stylist – www.unionmanagement.com.au
Amanda McLauchlan: Photographer - www.amphoto.com.au
Niki Simpson: Hair & Makeup - www.nikisimpson.com.au
Jira Kohl: Model - www.scoopmanagement.com.au
Sophie: Baby model and my niece – agency/website will be revealed in time to come
The Argyle Gourmet: Catering – 55-57 Argyle Street, Camden. 0246 558 510