To coincide with the launch of Bella Freud’s latest candle, Love is The Drug, the designer worked with acclaimed photographer Daisy Walker to create a series of prints that celebrate love in all its iterations. Not only are the photographs stunning depictions of the female form and the necessity of self-love, but they’re also rooted in a good cause — the project is in aid of Solace Women’s Aid, a charity dedicated to supporting abuse survivors and working to prevent violence against women.Â
Born just outside London, Daisy Walker’s inimitable photography style has caught the attention of numerous high fashion clients over the years, including Burberry, Loewe and most recently Stella McCartney, for whom she created a series of nude self-portraits during lockdown. For Walker, the project for Solace Women’s Aid — her second time creating work for the charity — is deeply personal, as she is herself a survivor of sexual abuse. She credits her work, especially her nude self-portraiture, as an essential tool for helping her move through the trauma, and that idea of healing and catharsis is deeply apparent in her work.
‘Solace Women’s Aid is a charity very close to my heart and more important than ever at a time when domestic abuse has increased dramatically due to multiple lockdowns,’ Walker explains. ‘I received therapy from Solace that completely changed my life and my relationship to my body, and this body of work reflects all shapes of love.’Â
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Love Is The Drug Candle
£95
For this project, Walker has created three images that show a solo girl, female couple and a male couple in different iterations of embrace. The three prints, as well as the Love is The Drug candle – a heady scent with notes of maraschino cherry, violet and musk – are all available for purchase on Bella Freud’s website, with 25% of the profits going directly to Solace Women’s Aid to support their therapeutic services, accommodation for survivors, training programmes and more.
