Art You Can Wear in new Edinburgh collaboration

Fine art photographer Soo Burnell and vegan retailer treen have joined forces to launch a collection of limited-edition, unisex, fashion pieces.

Images were taken at Grange Dyvours, Edinburgh’s oldest lawn tennis club, and which is within walking distance of treen’s flagship store in Stockbridge.

The treen x Soo Burnell collection features three images from Burnell’s latest photographic exhibition, I am home, which the artist describes as a love letter to the city she grew up in. The images are printed on two wardrobe staples from the sustainable Madrid-based Edmmond Studios: a 100% organic cotton T-shirt in white and a 100% organic cotton sweatshirt in light grey melange.

Weaving the wistful nostalgia captured in Burnell’s photography into modern-day wardrobe staples creates a one-of-a-kind collection, inspired by the retro style of the grass tennis courts at the Grange. Easy-to-wear slouchy tees and oversized crewnecks feature retro-style photographs taken at the city’s oldest tennis club, which was founded in 1883.

‘I am a huge fan of Soo’s work and was over the moon when she approached me about a potential collaboration,’ says treen founder Cat Anderson. ‘At treen, sustainability and ethical choices are at the core of our business. It was important to me to deliver on quality as well as style. Just like Soo’s photographs, you buy with longevity in mind; I wanted to carry this into the design of the collection.

‘Working with photographs from Soo’s recent collection, I am home, felt right on so many levels. I call Edinburgh home and built treen here, opening our flagship store in the city’s Stockbridge area.

‘Both Soo and I enjoy comfortable, everyday pieces that work around our busy lives, which is just what we have designed,’ Anderson adds.

For Burnell, the opportunity to collaborate with ethical retailer treen was all the encouragement she needed to embark on her first fashion venture.

‘We have spent a long time working on this together, getting the perfect T-shirt and sweatshirt, with a print quality that really illustrates the original photographs,’ Burnell said.

‘These are pieces I’d wear every day and any day,’ she adds. ‘Whether I’m editing in my studio or working on location. I’m always drawn to comfortable, easy styles, but I also love finding a classic design with a bit of an edge. That’s what this collaboration is about: pieces that have timeless simplicity, but with that twist in creating a piece of wearable art.

The treen x Soo Burnell collection will also be available to Edmmond’s European customers directly from the brand’s own website, reducing the impact of overseas transport.

Gardening at the Grange t-shirt, white, £55; Doubles sweatshirt, light grey melange, £95; Time for a Rematch t-shirt, white, £55. Shop the treen x Soo Burnell collection at treen, 2 St Stephen Place, Edinburgh EH3 5AJ or online at treen.com