Matches - Birdy

About the maker

Archivist is a British brand best known for its extra-long luxury matches, sold in decorative boxes and glass bottles, alongside letterpress cards and prints. Its name refers to the Natural History Museum's archives, where the company says it first began, and it is a family business run by a husband and wife.

The designs on the boxes are printed in the UK, and the matches themselves are made from FSC-certified wood, with FSC-accredited packaging. They make decorative gifts, and are ideal for lighting candles, a wood burning stove or a fire pit.

Many designs come from collaborations and archives. We stock matches illustrated by Wanderlust Paper Co., a paper-lover and illustrator based in Hove, East Sussex, including the Blue Floral and Strawberry designs from the Flora range, litho printed with gold text. There are also boxes from the Natural History Museum's collections, such as John J. Audubon's Golden-eye Duck from The Birds of America and the museum's minerals, and designs inspired by Alexander Girard, as well as birds, flowers and Christmas boxes.