I’ve been an admirer of Lisa Levis for a long time; back when she was still a Stickley and her work as a textiles & homewares designer was staking its place and more recently since she launched her successful accessories brand Betty & Walter. Her modern vintage style is just my cup of tea and I’ve even fawned over images of her home in Red magazine and on Pinterest. So it was with some excitement that I found myself having lunch (and several cups of tea) with one of my biggest girl crushes in said fabulous home (I know!).
I was actually there to have a sneak peek of the new Betty & Walter SS/15 collection before it launched last week and neither did it disappoint. Many of the pretty prints that were introduced last season, plus some completely new additions, have been given fresh, summery colours and are already starting to feel like design classics (I mean look at that allotment print above – it’s just timeless isn’t it!?).
But before I got a good look at the new collection, we had a sit down in Lisa’s gorgeous kitchen for a bite to eat (off lovely retro, mis-matched plates of course). It’s a good job I’d left my phone in my coat pocket as the temptation to instagram my lunch would have been irresistible. Instead we had a lovely long chat about babies (Lisa has the most adorable young daughter Edie), blogging and of course a bit about Betty & Walter too.
Lisa’s designs develop from simple almost rudimentary starting points, be it a doodle or hand cut shapes of coloured paper (which is how the allotment print started life), all inspired by her love of pattern, colour and a modern vintage aesthetic. But first and foremost, her products are functional and I love how adaptable they are too. Her wash bags make excellent pencil cases for example, her sling bags double as beautiful baby change bags, her old-fashioned clasp purses are given a twist with an upside down zipped compartment that gives you a crafty two-in-one. But really it’s the prints and that palette of hers that just gets me. You know when a designer always seems to use the colours and motifs you love (she has already incorporated tulips, which happen to be my favourite flowers, into several prints), so much so that you just wish you could cover everything with them. Needless to say, I am more than a little excited when Lisa hints that a clothing line is in the offing one day.
As we move to the lounge, the afternoon light is starting to fade but there’s just enough for me to take a few photographs of the spring/summer collection, which Lisa has artfully dotted around the room. And as I sit and admire the products (not to mention the fab decor – that green sofa, those mid-century pieces!) I realise that some brands really are an extension of a designer’s personality, their aesthetic and interests, their life and loves and this is what imbues such brand’s with a real authenticity. Lisa’s new range may not still bear her original name but Betty & Walter is every ounce of her and that’s what makes it so special.
If you’d like to find out more, check out the Betty & Walter site where the range is available to buy and have a read of Lisa’s amazing design journey!
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