There is something about flowers that I continually return to.
We see them everywhere. We grow them, give them to people we love, photograph them and print them onto clothes. Yet there is so much about them that we never really know.

While working on Flora & Fragility, I read an article in Atmos Magazine about Iris haynei, also known as the Faqqu’a Iris and knew I had to add it to our story at the last minute. Last-minute collection changes are my favourite — much to my team’s distress.

Recognised as the national flower of Palestine, it is a rare wild iris that grows primarily around the hills of Faqqu’a near Jenin. Its deep violet flower appears for only a short period each spring, with a single bloom growing from each stem.

Its natural habitat is incredibly small and the species is increasingly threatened by habitat loss, development, environmental change and the effects of conflict on the landscape.

The iris has long been associated with hope, wisdom and resilience. But what interested me most was how naturally those ideas seemed to exist within the flower itself.

It can appear incredibly strong and sculptural, while its existence is remarkably fragile.

There was also one small detail that stayed with me. When the Faqqu’a Iris reaches the end of its flowering, its petals don't simply fall away. They dry while remaining on the stem.

That contradiction between strength and vulnerability became an important part of Flora & Fragility.

The collection looks more closely at flowers and species whose futures are uncertain — not simply because they are beautiful, but because there is value in knowing what we are looking at, where it comes from and what might be at risk of disappearing.

For me, the Iris is a reminder to pay attention.
Sometimes noticing something is where caring for it begins.

Katie x