Meanderings

S&B x Lisou

November 1, 2020

We are excited to bring you a very 'heart-felt' collaboration: S&B x Lisou.

Designed together with our long-time friend Rene Macdonald, Founder and Creative Director of ready-to-wear label Lisou, we've created a tablecloth and napkin collection infused with happiness, spirit and a whole lotta love.

In a short space of time, Lisou has bounded onto the sartorial scene to much accolade and for good reason - as well as designing and producing beautiful, contemporary clothing, Lisou is dedicated to making a positive global impact. Read our Q&A with Rene below and discover just how they do it.

Each tablecloth and napkin in our collection is thoughtfully hand painted on 100% pure linen - stamped hearts frame a pretty swathe of petal pink and are elegantly complemented by a white and forest green dual stripe - the sweetest sign of adoration for your table.

We're so proud to collaborate with another like-minded local business and we love to love the coy motif that embodies our 'Lisou' design, we hope you do too.

With love,

S&B

xxx

[ Tablecloth ] Available in two sizes:

165 x 300cm & 165 x 380cm

[ Napkin ] 50 x 50cm

[ At the table with Rene Macdonald ]

We're incredibly close with Rene and so seeing that friendship culminate in a beautiful collaboration has been a joyous moment. We sat down with Rene and asked her some pressing questions...

Q. Tell us a little about your brand Lisou - what inspired you to start?

A. Lisou is a womenswear brand that reflects both my being a Londoner and a Tanzanian. We began as a silk brand and while we continue to work with silk we have slowly added more fabrics to our offering. I started Lisou because I couldn't find the clothes I wanted to wear, plus I'm a lover of prints and getting to design our own prints is a dream. I was also massively encouraged by my family, especially my sons who wanted to see me pursue my goals.

Q. If you could use three words to describe Lisou, what would they be?

A. Bold, colourful, unique.

Q. You have prowess when it comes to pattern and print. Where do you seek inspiration?

A. Inspiration comes from all over the place. Sometimes it's travel and other times it can just be a leaf on the ground or beautiful architecture. We spend so much of our lives looking down at mobiles that we miss all the inspiring things around us.

Q. Who is your design hero?

A. I really admire the work of Zelda Wynn who funnily enough also designed the original Playboy bunny costume! As a lover of vintage I'm also a massive fan of Elsa Schiaparelli.

Q. If you could dress any woman in the world, who would you choose and why?

A. Michelle Obama every time! My admiration for her is infinite.

Q. The Lisou store is situated on Westbourne Grove - what are your three favourite go-to places in the area?

A. I spend a lot of time scouring vintage shops on Portobello Road, I'm always on the lookout for one off stand out pieces, Found and Vision is always worth a visit. 202 Westbourne is great for lunch and as a lover of chillies, I'm a regular at The Spice Shop on Blenheim Crescent.

Q. We'd love to hear more about the Lisou values...

A. As much as I love designing, I also believe that it is crucial to give back. I was brought up by extremely socially responsible parents and it's important for me to keep that legacy alive. To that end we run a number of charitable initiatives every year. We started an annual school competition last year focusing on state primary and secondary schools within the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. The idea was for the children to draw whatever they wanted, giving us a sentence on their inspiration. The winners had their illustrations made into silk scarves which we sold with profits going directly back into the art departments of the winning schools. The plan is to add a new borough every year and to keep inspiring creativity in the next generation. Creative arts are a marker of where we are socially and culturally and everyone should have an input in that. One of our other initiatives is a charity that was set up to help young East Africans with medical and educational needs. We donate profits from one piece per collection. I am extremely proud to have projects in both London and East Africa.

Q. What does the S&B x Lisou collaboration mean to you?

A. I have always loved cooking and as a student I would often go past the S&B shop in Clarendon Cross dreaming of the day I could go in and buy something. When I met the Bishop family it was incredible to discover that my favourite homeware store was and is owned by them! I was also lucky enough to meet the wonderful Bernadette who let me in on the secret of her divine roasted apricots... something I still make to this day. So, on a personal level it means a lot, it's always a joy to collaborate with a brand you love.

Q. At S&B, we believe that conversation around the dining table is incredibly important - what topic of conversation do you wish you could have with the world right now?

A. Such a huge question for a chatterbox like me! I think any conversation that helps us as human beings to love and accept each other without prejudice is a good one.

Q. How are you styling your table at home at the moment?

A. Always in S&B. My current favourite is the "Shades of Blue" which we used a lot as a family in the garden surrounded by fairy lights during lockdown.

Q. Name your six dream dinner party guests (real, fictional, alive or dead) that you would love to invite over at the moment, if you could? And what would you cook for this fantasy dinner party?

A. I'd have Barack Obama, Idris Elba, Jon Snow (the broadcaster), Princess Elizabeth of Toro, Sir David Attenborough & Maya Angelou. I'd make something simple so I could spend the whole evening listening. To start, I would serve a tomato and basil bruschetta, the main course would be a seafood risotto and for pudding it would be Bernadette's roasted apricots with fromage frais.

Q. Finally we have to ask, apart from your lovely S&B x Lisou tablecloth, what pieces from S&B are you coveting at the moment?

A. I'm obsessing over the midnight blue Falling Flower cushions and don't even get me started on everything Astier de Villatte!