Giving Tuesday: Supporting Families in Afghanistan through Turquoise Mountain

 

Photo credit: Turquoise Mountain

Afghanistan is currently facing a humanitarian crisis, with an urgent lack of food to feed everyone during what will be an extremely cold winter. This Giving Tuesday, we are donating 20% of all our online sales to Turquoise Mountain, a charity we are proud to support through the Monsoon Accessorize Trust.

 

Turquoise Mountain has estimated that £150 will help a weaver family in Bamiyan get through a winter month – this includes an allowance for food, cooking fuel and heating. Turquoise Mountain is looking to support 40 households (about 350 people) in Bamiyan, the funds we raise are urgently needed to help these families get through the winter during this humanitarian crisis.

 

We support Turquoise Mountain to provide pre-primary education to young people in two villages located in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Today we want to highlight what Turquoise Mountain have done and are doing right now in this emergency situation in Bamiyan, and raise funds to help support families and the communities.

 

More about Turquoise Mountain in Bamiyan

Photo credit: Jim Huylebroek

 

Founded in 2006, Turquoise Mountain provides pre-primary education to the young people of two villages in Bamiyan in Afghanistan’s central highlands, providing essential childcare and preparing them for further education. Turquoise Mountain believes that by providing pre-primary education, we can ensure that children of weaver families succeed in future education.

 

Photo credit: Jim Huylebroek

 

Decades of conflict and limited governmental funding and capacity has made accessing quality education in Afghanistan challenging, with UNICEF estimating that “3.7 million children are out-of-school in Afghanistan – 60% of them are girls.”

 

Children who are not enrolled in school or who are prematurely removed from educational institutions are at high risk for child labour and exploitation.

 

Photo credit: Jim Huylebroek

 

The Turquoise Mountain schools address the issue by providing childcare for children who are too young to enrol in primary schools in areas with high concentrations of weaver families. Guardians can focus on employment while children are in a safe space dedicated to providing the foundational education and nutritional support essential to future growth and success.

 

Our Monsoon Accessorize Trust was set up in 1994 and we have worked with Turquoise Mountain, for a number of those years. From initiatives that support traditional crafts in Kabul, providing employment for artisans, to pre-primary education for young children, you can find out more about the amazing work they do on their website.

 

Discover more on the Turquoise Mountain website >

 

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Boutique Christmas Windows x Me & My Bloomers

 

Our Marylebone High Street store is ready for Christmas. Inspired by nature, we collaborated with Me & My Bloomers to create floral arches and decorations that embody the winter season. If you haven’t visited our boutique London store yet, there is no time like the present. Take a sneak peek at the stunning creations and learn more about the talented Stephanie Callaghan who founded Me & My Bloomers in 2017 and her inspiration behind these designs.  

Me & My Bloomers celebrates flowers and provides bespoke floral design with a selection of specially handcrafted botanical inspired products from their countryside studio.

 

Read more about Me & My Bloomers >

 

 

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started with Me & My Bloomers?

 

I started Me & My Bloomers when I turned 30 in 2017, after leaving a job of 3 years as a window designer in Istanbul, as I was looking to connect with nature and my own creativity again. It started as a small dream to grow flowers and learn floristry along the way, I knew almost nothing about flowers, but I knew I’d found my medium, I have a fine art degree and I spent years trying to figure out how to express myself creatively. Flowers ignited something that I’d been looking for and thankfully they continue to do so. Over the years Bloomers has evolved where we now have a studio in the countryside where I work on commissions and create botanical inspired products. I share the space with my partner Carl who’s an artist and 5-month-old baby boy Ru.

 

 

With the Christmas windows for Monsoon, can you tell us your inspiration behind them?

 

I wanted to create something representative of the current season, the base ingredients remind me of a walk in the woods at this time of year, just a simple nod to the approaching festive season.

We’ve used all dried ingredients including hops, bracken, old man’s beard and for some pops of colour used dried helichrysum/strawflowers and achillea, and of course grasses, not many of our designs are without grasses.

 

What is your process when putting together flowers for an event or display?

 

A lot of what we do is dictated by a brief, I like to spend time reimagining it and sourcing what materials to use. I then love seeing all the materials arrive in the studio before we begin piecing a design together. You never know the exact outcome until you start, as the shapes very much depend on the individual stems.

 

 

 

What are your favourite flowers to work with in the wintery seasons?

 

Dried flowers are my favourite, they allow you to create long-lasting displays which you can adapt through the seasons, I also love the more muted tones.

 

What are your recommendations for how to recreate designs like yours at home?

 

It’s the perfect time of year to get creative and make yourself a festive wreath, there’s plenty of good materials out there for you to responsibly forage or find in your garden, you could try holly, ivy, berries, rosehips, pinecones as well the materials we have chosen for this window, old man’s beard is a great fluffy addition to any wreath.

 

 

Visit us at our Marylebone High Street or find your local one, we look forward to welcoming you soon.

 

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Christmas Party Outfits: Our Top Picks

 

Tis the season! Festivities are back and we can’t wait to make up for all we missed out on last year at Christmas parties and gatherings with all our friends, families and colleagues. Whether you’re wondering what to wear on Christmas day or what to wear to your festive work party we’ve got you covered with our latest party collection.

 

Christmas day outfits can go from the little black dress to a velvet jacket that dresses up any look. Find our favourites in the new collection…

 

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The maxi dress that shimmers

 

 

Party outfits wouldn’t be the same without floor-sweeping lengths and shimmering details. Opt for rich purple shades made for the festive season with our Adena tiered dress, that really makes an impact on special events with your loved ones.

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The nice top and bohemian skirt

 

 

Switching the ‘nice top with a pair of jeans’ for a ‘nice top with a bohemian-inspired skirt’, for a real Monsoon touch. Our Julie frill trim blouse and Angie embroidery midi skirt are the perfect combination for dressing up any festive occasion.

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The classic little black dress with a twist

 

 

A wardrobe isn’t complete without a little black dress. Our Tallulah tassel wrap dress adds a twist to the classic, made for taking to the dancefloor at Christmas parties.

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The jacket that makes an outfit

 

 

Dress up any outfit with our embroidered velvet jacket. The warm teal hues matched with the golden thread embroidery gives this design a beautiful finishing touch, and makes it a piece you’ll treasure through the years.

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The dress that turns heads

 

 

A 1920s inspired design featuring recycled fabrics, sequin details and fringed layers, our Felicity fringe embellished dress is more than ready for all your festive invitations.

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Christmas Guide: The Art of Gifting

 

As the festive season approaches, we’ve curated some of our favourite gifts for her, kids and the home. Celebrating our love of craft, we’ve brought together our in-house designs and selects from our new homeware collection.

This Christmas sit around the tree, light the fire and get ready to open winter warmers, homely accessories and festive favourites for everyone this season.

 

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Soft knitwear layers

 

 

As the weather gets colder, comfortable knitwear that has a stylish touch is perfect for keeping you wrapped up warm this season. From fringe trims to oversized collars, these make great gifts to open on Christmas morning.

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Shades of the season

 

 

Warming and neutral hues are what we are turning to this season. For wearing (and gifting) at festive events, choose timeless burgundy shades and embroidered accessories.

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The main event

 

 

From the comfy to the chic, wear Christmas day outfits your way this festive season. We’re layering soft coats and cardigans over frill trimmed shirts and bold prints at Christmas dinner gatherings with friends and family this year.

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Gifts for giving (and receiving)

 

 

The presents that we all love to open on Christmas morning – cosy pyjamas sets and dressing gowns to scented candles and diffusers, our new in collection has all the classic Christmas gifts your loved ones want and need (and you will too).

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All that glitters

 

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and this season we’re making up for all the festive plans we missed out on last year. Explore our collection of sequins, fringing and velvet fabrics for the party season.

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The look of luxe

 

 

Our new collection will have you falling in love with dressing up again, embrace the festive season in embroidered velvets and the classic little black dress.

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Magical moments

 

 

Little outfits and accessories they’ll love to open and wear on Christmas, and every day after that. Playful motifs covered in sparkles will have them smiling and feeling festive.

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This way for fun

 

 

He knows when you’re awake… make Christmas feel magic with Christmas jumpers, sparkly dresses and red-nosed accessories.

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Complimentary gift wrapping in store

 

 

We’ve fallen for the art of furoshiki wrapping this Christmas. Taking fabric you can reuse for any occasion, they are planet-friendly and give your gifts a beautifully unique finishing touch.

We have free in-store gift wrapping at selected stores, while fabric lasts.

 

Castlepoint
Liverpool
Nottingham 
Norwich
Birmingham GC
Stratford Westfield
Dundrum
Trafford Centre
Glasgow Buchanan St
Newcastle Eldon Sq
Londonderry
York 
Jersey 
Cheltenham
Bristol
Belfast Victoria Sq
Gyle
Enfield 
Edinburgh Princes St
Forestside
Enniskillen
Glasgow Silverburn
Canary Wharf
Bromley
Cork Mahon Point
Westfield White City

Bluewater (coming soon)

Marylebone High Street (gift wrapping all year round)

 

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Meet the Artisan: Lynette Animal Print Dress

 

It’s the season that sees us all turning to occasion pieces for festivities and special events. One of the hero pieces of our new party collection is our Lynette animal sequin dress, so we wanted to shine a light on this design as well as the people who made it. 

Ruksana is one of our talented artisans that brought this beautiful design to life. , and here she tells us the story of her craft and her family life. 

 

  

“My name is Ruksana. My father, Inush Mirza and mother Aashaton, helped me in my studies while I was growing up. I live in Mayurvihar, New Delhi, and have four sisters and two brothers. Due to large family size, it was difficult to survive on agriculture so, I decided to become an artisan. It is unusual work in my community, and I had the support of my parents. 

 

  

I worked in various factories as a Finisher. I’ve been working at my current job for the last two years. I love my job as it gives beauty to the fabric once I’ve completed my work on it. I enjoy cooking though I don’t have much time for it, and I want to support my sisters and brothers, so that they can get a good education.” 

 

Shop our Lynette dress > 

  

The ARTISAN Collection 

 

Working with craftspeople in faraway places is a complex process with lots of challenges. But it’s always been an important part of who we are and what we do. Our continued commitment to using handcraft helps sustain skills and livelihoods, as well as adding something special and unique to our collections. 

A member of our Monsoon team personally visits our artisans, to watch our beautiful product come to life and get to know the people behind the intricate craftsmanship. We’ve worked closely with our ARTISAN suppliers to introduce worker handbooks where artisans can track the number of pieces they’ve worked on and, in turn, keep a record of their wages. This helps create transparency in the supply chain, letting us know who is making our clothes, and allowing us to make sure that the artisans have been fully paid for their beautiful work. 

  

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November: Monsoon’s Journal

 

As soon as November arrives, we know the official festive celebrations can begin. From starting things off with a bang this weekend with fireworks at bonfire night, to ticking off your Christmas shopping list while visiting the lights (and shops with your favourite seasonal windows), our picks this month will have you feeling warm, fuzzy and ready for the festive season.

 

 

There is nothing like finding the perfect Christmas gifts for your loved ones. We’ve curated the perfect collection of presents for her, the kids and the home this festive season, so you can start ticking off that list.

 

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When the fireworks start, we all feel like the wintry season has truly arrived. Visit England has made a handy list of all the best bonfire night events across the UK this year, so you won’t miss out on lighting up the night.

 

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Christmas lights go up this month, whether visiting to see them switched on or taking them in on a trip while shopping for your gifts, Country Living has put together some of their favourites for us to pick from…

 

Visit the lights >

 

Spend some time outdoors and feel magical with the Enchanted Woodland at Syon Park. Walk through the park in the dark while enjoying the lights and music, watching these 600-year-old gardens transform.

 

Enchanted Woodland > 

 

 

The 26th of November is Black Friday, don’t miss the offer of the year and sign up to our newsletter, where you will get all the latest news and collections from us too.

 

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