Meet the Maker: Araminta Campbell

From the beautiful Fife Arms in Braemar to the bespoke tartan designs of Araminta Campbell, Dream Escape’s connection to Scottish heritage is impressive. Emma Johnson talks to Araminta about creating a bespoke design for Dream Escape, taking inspiration from her striking Scottish surroundings

Early in January 2019, alongside HRH the Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Dream Escape founders David and Holly were welcomed to the striking Fife Arms in Braemar to mark the re-opening of the historic former Victorian coaching inn.

As one of Dream Escape's preferred partners, The Fife Arms is the perfect place for clients to call home when visiting the UK, a singularly unique and beautiful retreat, nestled in the Scottish Highlands. Dating back to 1856, the hotel is a landmark in the village of Braemar, home of the Highland Games, and its new renovation brought together a host of important Scottish heritage and craftsmanship.

Araminta Campbell’ in the studio

“The history and ethos of the Fife Arms, and the fact that they have integrated the local community into the essence of the hotel and only work with local craftsmen and suppliers, wherever possible, was a huge appeal and sits perfectly with our core values too,” explains David.

SCOTTISH HERITAGE

Dream Escape’s team are meticulous about the properties they work with, and The Fife Arms is no exception, boasting a special, unique character and historic charm, alongside beautiful design and exemplary service. The hotel itself is an art and design masterpiece, and contains over 14,000 antiques and artworks – highlights of which include a watercolour of a stag’s head painted by HM Queen Victoria – as well as stunning interiors created by Russell Sage. It is also home to the bespoke luxurious tweed, tartan and alpaca fabrics of Scottish designer Araminta Campbell, whom the Dream Escape team have recently worked with to create their own unique tartan.

At The Fife Arms, Campbell was commissioned to create a bespoke new house tartan and house tweed. Inspired by the changing colours of the local landscape around Braemar, the tartan adorns the walls of the hotel’s Drawing Room, while the bespoke tweed decorates the walls of The Snug and the bedroom corridors.

Araminta Campbell’s bespoke tartan in the Drawing Room of The Fife Arms

Touring the hotel, HRH the Prince of Wales took particular interest in the designs, and the Duchess of Cornwall later wore the tartan to an event for VE Day. “Possibly my proudest moment was attending the opening of the Fife Arms, and seeing the bespoke tweed and tartan I created being admired by HRH Prince Charles,” says designer Araminta Campbell. “It was an amazing project to be part of, there had been such a focus on artistry and provenance and the attention to detail is second to none.”

David and Holly were similarly wowed by Campbell’s designs, and decided to work with her to create their own bespoke tweed design, something they had been hoping to do for some years. “We were already looking to evolve our welcome packs to support local artisans and to give our clients a meaningful gift that told a ‘story’ and that would connect them with the country they were visiting, whilst still being true to our brand,” explains David. “When we met Araminta, everything just came together.”

Holly shakes hands with the Duchess of Cornwall

“Possibly my proudest moment was attending the opening of the Fife Arms, and seeing the bespoke tweed and tartan I created being admired by HRH Prince Charles.”

Staircase at The Fife Arms featuring Araminta’s bespoke tartan

BORN & BRED

Araminta Campbell was perhaps the perfect choice to design the tweed for Dream Escape. For the designer, the beautiful, wild Scottish landscape has always been her chief inspiration. “It’s probably because that is where I am happiest,” she told Dream Escape. “I grew up in the Scottish countryside and my mother was passionate about landscape and nature, so from a very early age it was ingrained in me.”

“Soft greys meet rich burgundy and deep purple in a design that evokes the designer’s Scottish heritage.”

Campbell had an early introduction to textiles through her grandparents, traditional Scots who lived in Strathconon in the Highlands, and who always dressed smartly. With an appreciation for textiles so much a part of her life, and a rich natural landscape outside her front door, Campbell found herself drawn to the ways she could bring these two loves together. After graduating Campbell was selling handwoven artworks to collectors, and making bespoke pieces for friends and family. Searching for wool alternatives to use in a scarf, she settled on alpaca fleece - a beautifully soft, hypo-allergenic fibre that is the only luxury yarn you can source from UK farms.

Araminta Campbell’s Signature Throws

The alpaca was so inspiring to Campbell that she began to create more and more pieces and weaving became a true passion. In her studio she now works with a team of highly skilled weavers, and there is very much a feeling of keeping the art of weaving alive. Just as it did when she was young, location remains incredibly important to her. “The brand is inherently a Scottish company and my designs are rooted in Scotland,” she explains, but says she can also take her inspiration from landscapes across the world. “When I am designing for a client there is a shift, and it is their landscape that becomes important. Be it an urban or international landscape, my designs always reflect their story.”

DREAM ESCAPE TWEED

For the Dream Escape design, Campbell suggested a tweed pattern which would have a more exclusive feel, while working to blend both the colours of the landscape and countryside with the brand’s own specific palette. The colour swatch was key, with the dominant greys and splashes of navy used as a base to represent the Dream Escape brand. The tweed was then cut through with a solitary vertical line in conifer green to represent the landscape, rolling hills and forests of all countries in the UK and Ireland, with the added details of vertical blue lines to represent Scotland and a horizontal line in burgundy to represent England and Wales – and also add a touch of colour and royal tradition.

Cashmere and lambswool scarves in Dream Escape fabric designed by Araminta Campbell.

“If you stand back and just look at the design as a bigger picture, then you immediately feel a sense of quality, warmth and familiarity,” says Holly. “The colours give a light, classy feel, and, as you look closer, you begin to notice the finer details – immediately representing one of our core values – our attention to detail.” In fact, the luxurious, bespoke design cleverly symbolises many of Dream Escape’s core values including their attention to people seen in the personal touch in everything they do, and attention to detail, shown in the intricate design features. “The fabric very much speaks to all of Dream Escape’s locations, and I wanted to include all of these within the designs,” explains Campbell. “Their brand colours feature heavily to ensure the design reflected their ethos and story.” The Dream Escape fabric will be used to create a variety of luxury bespoke gifts for Dream Escape clients, including cashmere and lambswool scarves, pashminas and throws.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

Inspired by the bespoke tweed, Dream Escape visitors to Scotland can get a chance meet and tour Campbell’s studio, at an exclusive ‘By Appointment Only” visit. You will be taken through the weaving process from beginning to end - from the sourcing of British alpaca fleeces to the skills involved in weaving on traditional looms and the time intensive hand finishing process. Enjoying locally sourced refreshments, you will hear directly from the makers and designers, and encounter first-hand the craftsmanship and inspiration behind these wonderful textiles, before finishing off in the showroom, which is not open to the public, for an exclusive shopping experience. If you are keen to take an even more personal piece of this Scottish tradition home with you, you can work with Araminta Campbell to create your own tartan or tweed – an exclusive experience offered to Dream Escape clients. Every project is customised – from reimagining family tartan to producing a fabric that pushes the boundaries of traditional Scottish design. The design consultation is usually planned in the final days of a trip, so clients can meet with Araminta and use their experiences of their Scottish tour to inspire and shape the final designs.

Araminta Campbell's studio; Araminta Campbell’ in the studio.

“There is an emotional connection with all my work, everything is special its unique way,” continues Campbell, whose bespoke pieces make not only a wonderful reminder of a holiday, but also something special to be passed on to future generations.

Find out more → dreamescape.co.uk

Stays at the Fife Arms are included as part of The Dream Escape travel programmes around the Braemar area, including the Balmoral Estate linking its Royal connections with off-roading on the estate, private whisky experiences, and so many other different activities.