The latest collection from Merrow Anam feels like a love letter stitched in thread a delicate blend of craftsmanship, emotion, and integrity. Each piece tells a story of love and innocence, captured through intricate hand embroidery and mindful design. But beneath its ethereal beauty lies a powerful purpose: a commitment to slow fashion, ethical production, and enduring quality.

Created in limited numbers, every Merrow Anam piece is made to be cherished — the kind of investment that transcends trends and seasons. It’s fashion you buy for all the right reasons: beauty, intention, and longevity.

We sat down with Anna, the designer and muse behind the brand, to delve deeper into the storytelling woven through her latest collection and to explore how Merrow Anam continues to redefine what it means to create with purpose and for eternity.

Your pieces feel like they carry entire stories within their stitches. Can you share how storytelling influences your design process from the very beginning? 

Within the stories there are special  moments, memories and people. I suppose these moments, memories and people make up my inner and outer world, life experiences and the way I see the world – which then inspires the way I design.  I have always been an incredibly sentimental and sensitive person, always picking up on small details. With this sensitivity and sentimentality, comes emotion. I would say that I design in a very emotionally driven way and that is why I love incorporating a story (special moments, memories and people) into every single collection as I just love the nostalgia and emotion that comes with it. 

Much of your work incorporates embroidery and text. How do you choose the words, symbols or motifs that become part of the garment? 

For example, for the Beau Embroidery – I wanted it to be all about love – not only romantic but also an unconditional love. Beau is my fiancé so naturally the story is named after him. The love hearts and the roses represent the romantic side to the story and the words “ My love, my love, my fairy dove” are words my mum used to say to me (and still does) which represents the unconditional side. I thought it was a lovely way of incorporating two of my favourite people into this story to show them how much I cherish them. However, often words and symbols just appear in my head, almost like download and I will write the down or draw them. 

How would you describe your personal style, and does it mirror or differ from the aesthetic of Merrow Anam? 

It mirrors my brand! I would say that my brand and my personal style have elements of innocence and a vintage aesthetic which I have always been drawn to and makes up most of my wardrobe!

Can you share the story behind one piece from your recent collection that holds the most personal significance to you? 

From my newest collection “Chippy Wildflower” (launching early October) the mini dress in this story is super special to me. The silhouette of the dress is a simple shift however it has crochet flowers scattered over it, crochet hem frills and a hand crochet finish around the neckline and armhole. I love this dress because I feel like it represents so much of my past and present. This story was designed while my Fiance and I were living in the beautiful Cotswolds (English countryside) – we lived in Chipping Norton which was a small village, hence the name Chippy Wildflower. We would walk through fields of countryside and there would be wildflowers scattered everywhere, each one stunningly beautiful. I wanted to combine the oldy worldly Cotswold aesthetic with Australian coastal living. To me, crochet is a staple in both cultures and the perfect way to blend the two. Through this story, my English roots along with my experience of living in the Cotswolds and my coastal, sun soaked, Australian up bringing collides.

What piece of clothing in your own wardrobe do you consider most meaningful, and has it influenced your work? 

I have so many! But the one piece that stands out to me the most is a vintage top that I bought at glebe markets around 8 years ago. I believe it is a vintage shirt that had been turned into a cute midriff top. It doesn’t sound like much but it has a beautiful square neckline with a trim and it the fabric is fully embroidered. I have worn it so much and I just love that it was something old made into something new. One of my huge inspirations is vintage and antiques and I guess this piece influenced my work so much because it was the vintage nostalgic element mixed with a modern day silhouette that is really wearable and I would say this is something that I also try and achieve in my designs 

What is the most challenging part of turning deeply personal ideas into wearable pieces? 

The most challenging part is hoping that people connect with the garment in the same way that you do. I suppose because the pieces are so meaningful to me, it does hurt if it is badly received. However, that is the risk you take when you put yourself out there and create something truly meaningful – you have to understand that not everyone will look at it in the same way you do. Everyone has their own inner world which affects the way we see life and products and that is okay  It is all part of the journey.

Textiles themselves seem to be part of the narrative. How do you source your fabrics, and what role does material play in shaping a story? 

I have always been so intrigued by textiles. Literally everything about textiles has always drawn me in- the way they are made, different kinds of fabric, colours, textures, prints, embroidery, crochet. In terms of the actual fabric used to make the garments, I will always use natural fibre. For my current collection I have chosen a linen/ cotton blend – linen is one of the most robust and long lasting fibres that there is ensuring quality and longevity. I also really loved the handfeel – it is a mid weight fabric so it feels sturdy but also has a softness to it. 

Beyond clothing, what art forms, books, or music shape the way you think and create? 

Poetry and writing has a huge effect on the way I think and create mostly because it can transport you straight to another person’s inner world.  For me, the words you speak and write hold a significant amount of energy and meaning. Reading poetry is significant to me because it shows that words can hold so much emotion. Poetry can make you laugh, cry, feel nostalgic or transport you to another time and bring up so many emotions. It fascinates me that we are able to transform thoughts and feelings into something physical like poetry or writing. The words you say and write and more than ‘just words’ they are literally thoughts, feelings, emotions, visions – translated into text which I think is a really powerful thing to incorporate into my designs. 

What do you hope someone feels when they wear a Merrow Anam piece for the first time? 

My aim is to create something so special that when you wear it or see it for the first time, it feels like a piece of treasure.  I want the wearer to connect with the silhouette, embroidery, crochet or print on an emotional level. I hope that the wearer feels so connected to the piece that it is handed down and lives on as an heirloom.