Photo Diaries: Annika Hein

A photo diary consumed by the green of nature, Annika Hein’s entry was shot in the garden of their mountain home by partner and long-time creative collaborator, Odin Wilde. As a fervent wordsmith, her journal tenderly explores the musings of motherhood, home and building an authentic relationship with the garments in her wardrobe.

“My wardrobe is a mostly black, white and grey selection of fiercely edited pieces and also one that’s added to very rarely these days. I think owning less and investing in particular pieces that you build a relationship with makes for a far more adaptable, timeless, and sustainable wardrobe. You get to truly know your clothes and allow them to be an authentic representation of yourself, rather than one that’s potentially swayed or guided by impulse or panicked purchases.

My style is quite relaxed, a little oversized, and subtly tailored. I don’t feel comfortable in bold colours or loud prints and I sway towards neutral pieces that offer a sense of longevity and quality. I would consider myself a uniform dresser and tend to steer clear of the expectation that new clothes should be considered a routine purchase.”

“I would consider myself a uniform dresser and tend to steer clear of the expectation that new clothes should be considered a routine purchase.”

“We are taught to place an unjustified focus and judgement on how many times we’ve worn something, and to view this number, as it grows, as an insult rather than a celebration or testament to the garment’s quality and how it makes us feel.

I love the volume in these pieces, and the razor sharp tailoring and the elaborate length. I do find it interesting however that I opted for mostly whites given that I’m usually covered in something from the garden, or my children.”

“At the moment I am very much deep in the motherhood season of my life and so there’s an undercurrent of mothering in just about everything I do now.”

“It’s interesting how at certain times in our lives we’re attracted to a certain shade or a certain colour in general. It makes me think about the concept from a colour perspective in fashion, because I know while I was pregnant and a new mother with Vahla, I only wanted to wear white, just fresh and light fabrics and colours, and it kind of brought me out of a decade of really only wearing blacks and greys. Something about the lightness felt right as I was entering such a new role and season in life, and it’s kind of stuck or lasted a while now. Fresh whites and creams with a red lip. But as I approach my third year as a mother, I can start to feel the pull towards darker colours again—a more serious or perhaps seasoned reflection of self? I’m not sure. But I think it’s interesting to look at how these versions of ourselves are represented by colour and how these colours, or our attraction to them, ebb and flow through the stages of our lives and our work.”

“Everything around us was green and it was as though I’d never again wish for any other colour.”

“Quite a few years ago, when we moved to our first home outside the city, I wrote those words as part of a longer essay and they’ve become somewhat of a mantra for me. I feel at ease when I’m surrounded by trees and forest.

Nature is the truest and greatest creator, inspiring great art and even greater lives.

I’ve always been quite serious when it comes to work and what’s expected of me. I set very high standards for myself, my work, and my creative output, and while this serves the intention or the result well and helps to ensure my contribution is inline with my ethos, it can also mean I get a little too comfortable or critical in my own head, and a little too obsessive with wanting to keep doing more.“

“I really love my job and my work is very important to me, but because our office is at home it can be quite difficult trying to navigate that terrain to ensure I’m truly switching off when the day ends. Getting outside and putting my feet on the Earth usually helps to connect me back to the outside world and to shake off the working, or, mothering day.

I also really like to be at home, and this garden was something we were really excited to have in our new space. Parenting is so much easier outside and I find simply pottering about our home and backyard to be a really nice way to spend my down time.”

“My work has always considered and questioned the way we’re creating, interacting, and consuming in an effort to offer an alternative observation that’s guided toward the preservation of art and artfulness in life. At the moment I am very much deep in the motherhood season of my life and so there’s an undercurrent of mothering in just about everything I do now. I am learning to look at this too as art and to surrender to the messiness and lack of control it brings.”

Annika is the co-founder of biannual fashion and fine art publication, JANE by the grey attic. Shot entirely on film, JANE is a slow art movement designed to encourage thoughtful and considered creative consumption.

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