Behind the design: the MIMCO x Our Watch collection
2 Mar 2018
Previous MIMCO x Our Watch collections have been designed with the hope of starting, and continuing, the conversation around empowerment and equality.
When it came to our latest collection, we wanted to form a link between our contribution to the cause and Our Watch’s research: that fostering gender equality should start at the earliest stages of our children’s lives. As one of our most-loved styles, the MIMCO baby bag was the ideal choice. We hope to help Our Watch empower parents to foster gender equality from the very earliest ages.
Our entire collection has been splashed with a stunning original artwork by Australian artist Ange Miller. Ange told us about her creative process and why being involved was so important to her.
You created an exclusive print for the MIMCO x Our Watch collection – what inspired this print?
When working on the design I was (and still am) very much interested in creating energy on a page using textural variation and composition. I was excited by the challenge to work with the colour palette supplied and worked hard at multiple pieces from which the 2 featured originals were chosen to create one pattern. The colours I chose were not ones I had been using and caused me to feel both bold and whimsical in my experimentation.
The MIMCO x Our Watch campaign is about promoting positive relationships and gender equality – what made you want to be involved and why are you passionate about the campaign?
As a human with a heart and eyes I have seen and experienced deeply the effects of negativity in relationships. As a mother I have learned much about nurturing love, and what the opposite of love and respect will do to a person, especially to the vulnerable in our communities.
What do you hope for your children in the future?
I have four daughters aged 5–12 and I hope for a future which is empowering but challenging enough to inspire them to rise up and stand for mercy and justice.
How do you stay inspired?
I look at nature. I look at art. I interact and let it fill me. If I’m feeling uninspired often it’s because I need to slow down and focus on something fulfilling. I often show up in my studio regardless of feeling inspired or not, and either simply move colours around or do some observational work in my sketchbook. Inspiration often seizes me, along with a deep-set yearning to creatively engage, to make something better and more beautiful, or give something beautiful a channel through me to filter through my aesthetic expression and spread around. Beauty is so nourishing for us.
