The label Swash developed out of the creative collaboration between Sarah Swash and Toshio Yamanaka, who met while studying at the renowned Central St. Martins College of Art & Design. The design duo, known for their eclectic illustration and deluxe fabrications, which pays homage to the whimsical creations of Maria Sibylla Merian, a seventeenth century botanical illustrator. They also find inspiration in traditional activities like cricket, tennis and the like, forming the basis of a regal array of classics as well as from their beautiful whippet Candy, who quickly became an inspirational talisman and recurring motif in their designs from scarves and accessories and more recently Swash womenswear.