Palava - Retro kjoler i økologisk Bomuld

Palava - Retro dresses in organic cotton

Palava - Retro clothing in beautiful prints 🌸


Palava is a British, family-run company that creates feminine and sustainable quality clothing in the most beautiful retro-inspired designs and patterns.


The brand has a long and winding history, which in some ways starts way back in 1854, in the small town of Yarm on the River Tees in North East Endland.


It was home to the family-owned shop Strickland & Holt, selling pharmacy goods on the left-hand side of the shop and wine and spirits on the right.

The business changed hands from generation to generation and existed as a family-run pharmacy and shop until the 1970s, when the Boots pharmacy chain bought the pharmacy on the left-hand side. The shop on the right-hand side was was also taken over by one of Strickland & Holt's grandchildren, Stephanie Holt, and it was here that she and her husband created the Poppy brand. Poppy started out making bedding for children, but evolved into creating fashion clothing for children and adults, and the brand was active in the fashion industry until 2000, when the owners unfortunately had to close the company. The fashion scene was changing, and it had become difficult to to produce the clothes in England. However, the shop stayed in the family and remains so to this day.



In 2010, Poppy was brought back to life by Stephanie's youngest daughter Bryony. She started out drawing designs for children's clothing and went on to design women's clothing.

Bryony draws all of the brand's designs by hand and is particularly inspired by old fairy tales and nature, which is evident in the beautiful prints with themes such as flowers, birds and the sea.

Unfortunately, the brand had to change its name in 2015, and Palava was chosen. Palava means a slow conversation (palaver in Danish), and after two rounds of name changes, Bryony decided that it was the right name for the brand.

Today, Palava is a strong brand, where the combination of Bryony's hand-drawn retro designs and beautiful retro prints, as well as the specially selected materials of organic cotton satin and organic linen both emphasize and reflect the brand's high quality and focus on sustainability and environmental friendliness.

Here we will highlight some of the favorites:

The Rita Dress- flattering a-line dress in beautiful prints

Rita is in a beautiful classic vintage inspired cut with a defined waist, short sleeves that just cover the top of the arm/shoulders and a feminine a-line cut. A great dress for spring, summer, fall and winter that can be dressed up can be dressed up or down, and can be worn for both everyday and more festive occasions.

The Beatrice Dress - simple dress in a classic cut

The Beatrice dress is in a beautifully simple retro cut that suits most body types. .

The dress has a matching tie belt that you can tie at the front, side or back as you wish. The dress ends just below the knee and has pockets. All dresses in organic cotton.

Retro tie shirts & high-waisted pants

The Peggy tie-up shirt from Palava is a lovely retro inspired top in fine prints. This season we have it in a nice leopard print and an off-white one with flamingos. These tops are also both made from organic cotton.

The high-waisted wide-leg trousers are in a lovely organic cotton linen and, together with the tie shirt, are great for a feminine retro summer look.

Palavea - High-waisted skirts with pockets in pretty prints


Palava is probably best known for its beautiful prints, and this season there are the finest prints on dresses, tops and skirts.

Here are some of the lovely high-waisted skirts - both models look great on, as they both fit nicely around the hips, despite the width.


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