Country strong: inside the new campaign for Utopia Goods

Homegrown textiles by Utopia Goods are as Aussie as Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, and the duo behind the brand has chosen a quintessentially Australian country town to shoot its latest collection of hand-printed linens. Artist colony and former gold rush town Hill End provides an apt backdrop for Bruce Slorach and Sophie Tatlow’s Australiana style, and the inspired decision to bring Sydney-based stylist and photographer Ingrid Weir on board results in some of the studio’s most evocative imagery yet.

The local landscape’s sense of history-stood-still evokes a slower era, one in which Utopia’s nine month fabric-making process would fit right in. “We’re committed to creating beautiful textiles, and more specifically a hand illustrated and printed fabric that stands for something authentic and has a unique point of view,” says Tatlow.

Since its arrival on the scene in 2012, Utopia Goods has gained a status usually only reached after decades of retail, and Slorach’s illustrations, which draw on the unique flora and fauna of Australia, have found their way into the permanent collections of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

Much of the photography for the autumn range’s campaign was done in Weir’s own Hill End home, which is more than sufficiently country Australia with its timber floorboards, old wicker and pale green-painted sash windows.

Some pieces were shot in the local butchers, with its delightfully dilapidated interior brickwork creating the perfect backdrop for the brightly coloured fabric.

While other swatches of fabric were nonchalantly strewn over a chicken-wire fence.

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Even the humble Aussie backyard scores a look-in, with Weir capturing a trio of fabrics strung over a fence with a group of kangaroos gathered in the background. Indeed, it’s details like these that make the campaign feel so distinct.

“Shooting with Ingrid at her Hill End home seemed like a fantastic creative opportunity,” says Tatlo of the inspired campaign cirection. “We have the same appreciation of Australia’s natural beauty and heritage.”

Each textile in the collection is hand-screen printed on pure linen in India using multiple screens, and prints in the range include the Imperial Waratah in Indigo and Forest, Firewheel Trellis-Royal, Angophora Blue and Banksia Green.

Visit: utopiagoods.com