There are objects that belong to a season. And then there are objects that become part of its rituals.
In Catalonia, autumn has one ritual we especially love: anar a buscar bolets — heading into the forest in search of wild mushrooms.
As summer slowly gives way to cooler mornings, softer light and the first autumn rains, Catalonia's forests begin to change. And soon, on weekends, you start seeing people heading towards the mountains carrying something wonderfully simple: a woven cesta.
Mushroom picking — anar a buscar bolets — is deeply rooted in Catalan culture. It is as much about spending time outdoors with family and friends as it is about what eventually comes home in the basket.
And that is exactly the kind of object we love at Her Name Is Rita.
More Than a Basket
Our cestas weren't chosen because they were fashionable.
They were chosen because they feel timeless.
Woven baskets like these belong naturally to Mediterranean life. They can carry vegetables home from the market, bread for a picnic, flowers from the countryside, blankets for a day outside — or, when autumn arrives, the day's collection of bolets.
There is something beautiful about an object that doesn't need to explain itself.
It simply works.
And over time, it becomes more beautiful through use.
That philosophy sits at the heart of Her Name Is Rita: finding pieces with character and craftsmanship that can become part of everyday life rather than objects that are used for one season and forgotten.
Bolet Season Is Coming
For anyone living in Catalonia, the arrival of autumn means one thing: bolet season.
Rovellons, ceps, rossinyols, camagrocs and many other varieties begin appearing in Catalan forests when temperature, humidity and rainfall create the right conditions. Mushroom picking has become such an important part of local culture that towns across Catalonia celebrate the season with mushroom markets, fairs and festivals.
This year, the season has started somewhat slowly after the summer heat and lack of rain, with mushrooms appearing only in some areas so far — which makes those first proper autumn rains even more anticipated.
And when they arrive?
Take your cesta.
Head towards the forest.
Walk slowly.
Look beneath the pines.
And enjoy the search as much as whatever you eventually bring home.
From the Forest to the Home
Of course, you don't need to be a boletaire to find a place for one of these baskets.
Leave one beside the sofa filled with blankets.
Use it for magazines.
Take it to the Sunday market.
Fill it with flowers.
Carry it on a countryside picnic.
Keep it by the door waiting for the next adventure.
That versatility is precisely what attracts us to traditional handmade objects. Their purpose isn't dictated by us — you give them their purpose.
Today it might be filled with apples from the market.
Next month, perhaps, with freshly picked rovellons.
And years from now, it may still be sitting somewhere in your home, carrying something entirely different.
Objects With a Story
Her Name Is Rita was created around a simple idea: finding beautiful things made with intention and bringing together craftsmanship from the Mediterranean and beyond.
From Barcelona and the Catalan coast to the workshops and traditions of Turkey, Rifaa personally chooses pieces because of their texture, craftsmanship and the feeling they bring with them.
These cestas belong naturally to that story.
They are uncomplicated.
Useful.
Beautiful.
And made for real life.
Perhaps that is what makes them feel so Mediterranean.
A basket for the market.
A basket for the home.
A basket for the forest.
And with autumn arriving in Catalonia, we already know where ours is going first.
Ens veiem al bosc. 🍄
