www.astralapparel.co.uk

Cosmic salutations! Thank you for visiting the virtual hub for Astral Apparel <3

My name is Nancy and I am the founder and designer of Astral Apparel, one of few UK suppliers for scalemaille fashion and otherworldly wares including crystals and precious gem stones. I'm currently creating from the maritime metropolis that is Greenwich, SE London.

My wares are timeless pieces, the aesthetics of my designs are largely inspired by the fantasy rpgs I enjoyed while growing up [and still enjoy]. Pirates, empresses, warriors, cyborgs, angels and aliens are all representations of my phantasmal collective muse. Each creation holds some expression of one or more of these archetypal entities.

Astral Apparel presents the wearable manifestations of my imagination, through which I hope to present a virtuous form of escapism- to host a dressing experience as transcendental as can be, to elevate the wearer from the mundane.

I hope you enjoy <3
Nancy x

A D O R N I N G   P H I L O SO P H Y  &  R I T U A L​

ADORN -  əˈdɔːn : to add something decorative to a person or thing
PHILOSOPHY - fɪˈlɒsəfi : a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behaviour
RITUAL - rɪtʃʊəl : A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed in a sequestered place and according to a set sequence

When I use the term 'ritual', I am not referring to or limiting the activity to any perceived or subscribed mystical paradigm. Rather, as a tool, a cipher for symbolism, to conjure focus with an intention. A host for lucidity and conscious 'living', and in the context of dressing- utilising the material for the sake of sensuality.  Orchestrating sensual experience and thus enhancing experience. Of course adornment should not be used to compensate, rather to appreciate. So long as it is harmonious, why not enjoy the sensory applications of the material realm in this fleeting experience?

Through adornment, comes the merging of pleasure, symbolism and signal. Throughout the ages, people have been inspired to adorn themselves and engage in cosmetic rituals with a plethora of intentions; to spark inspiration, to express, to signal, to protect, to remind, etc. Most of all, Astral Apparel Angel Armoury encourages adornment for none other than yourself. 

Whilst dismissed as trivial in certain domains, adornment has proven a primal function / impulse of the human psyche since pre-historic times, indicating significant semiotics and anthropological implications . It is one of the most fundamental modes of communication.  Whether implemented daily or occasionally, the priviledge of taking the time to adorn, is a moment to be present and indulge in mindfulness.

Astral Apparel Angel Armoury encourages this supplementary practice as a means to embrace and enjoy life's temporal sensory experience, as innocuously as possible.