Belladonna Collection
“Belladonna, n.: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison”. Belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade, has a long history of use dating back centuries.
This history is specifically tied to women, who throughout the years explored its variety of uses from shamanic rituals, to medicine, to cosmetics. In Palermo, Italy in the 17th century a woman called Giulia Tofana concocted her legendary “Acqua Tofana”. With this untraceable poison she aimed to protect other women by offering them a weapon to escape abusive and dangerous situations when nobody else advocated for their rights.
Belladonna is the perfect symbol of the complexities and contradictions of the female experience. On one hand it represents the reclaiming of agency over one’s body and identity through beauty and mysticism, and on the other, it highlights the dangers and consequences of misogyny and oppression.
This duality of femininity and strength is the message behind the creations and talismans from the collection.
