Photo courtesy of Ultimate Hikes.
Ngā mihi o te tau hou. Greetings for the new year. From all at LyZadie Design Studio we wish everyone the very best for 2021, and to our friends in China, a prosperous Spring Festival this February.
New Zealand has enjoyed a delicious summer. And while the rest of the world still reels at the hands of Coronavirus, continued research into its transmission the roll out of a vaccine does look to be making inroads. We are ever hopeful of a return to health of all the world’s peoples.
2020 was a year to reboot and reconsider what was important to the design studio. The outcome was in our last blog to reaffirm our trust in nature, in art and in people. Founder Lyzadie spent much of the summer break, from Taranaki to Fjordland National Park, here ensuring she and her family lived by those values.
Lyzadie (in the center), with new friends she met on that adventure, on a 4 day hike deep in Fjordland National Park.
NATURE
Fiordland National Park is a wonder of natural beauty and Lyzadie was lucky enough to walk large sections of the park this summer. With some of the oldest rocks in New Zealand, its beauty feels literally carved from the earth. Glaciers scoured this area for tens of thousands of years and their strength is still evident in the valleys and geological forms of this area. It’s also above the giant alpine fault, so much of the park has been folded, lifted, dug out and submerged over thousands of years. You can get a taste of the colour and natural beauty in this video from Ultimate Hikes, a wonderful way to see this part of the world.
It’s powerful land. Old, rich, raw and because of its national park status, there are pockets of truly untouched splendour that can be seen from the mountain tops. Walking these trails reminded Lyzadie of what it is to be inspired by nature, what it is to be caught up in its beauty and to celebrate it.
The Kea – Photo courtesy of Ultimate Hikes.
ART
Which leads, of course, to inspiration. There was so much to be inspired by: the roar of water cascading over ancient rock; every shade of green imaginable in the trees, the grasses the moss and stone; and the echoing call and flap of native birdlife. Lyzadie was captivated by the Kea, one of New Zealand’s more iconic birds, known for causing mischief and for the bright burst of fiery colour underneath its dark green wings. These colours, this time in nature are rich in inspiration for future collections.
PEOPLE
HIKE FOR STARSHIP was an experience of a lifetime. We have recommitted our contributions to New Zealand’s Starship Hospital. In collaboration with Ultimate Hikes, Lyzadie hiked for Starship along the Milford Track with every dollar going towards Starship’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, a WIN-WIN adventure. As a mother of four children, Lyzadie has used the Starship Children Hospital facilities for her children so this is a cause close to her heart.
As part of our Giving Back program, a portion of proceeds from selected works go directly to help this worthwhile cause. Not only does it care for children in desperate need of immediate medical attention, but it is a major teaching centre, providing support for families and medical professions in paediatric services in New Zealand and across the pacific.
Photos courtesy of Starship Foundation.
For LyZadie Design Studio, 2021 then is about returning to ourselves. Checking in with our values and making sure our work follows our guiding principles of giving back and honouring the beauty of this land we call home. We trust you head into 2021 with new hope, and new inspiration too and we look forward to sharing new collections.
Lyzadiex
Photo courtesy of Ultimate Hikes – Fjordland NationalPark.
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