The Weave Designers TexSelect 2019
Emma Fallon
KULU designer Emma Fallon is a British maker of luxury textiles specialised in weave and print. Her work merges traditional techniques with digital processes, creating hand woven fabrics with screen printed embellishments and experiments with a victorian process called shadow tissues which involves screen printing the warp threads before they are woven. Her portfolio also features a digitally designed jacquard collection of luxurious interior fabrics in silk, cashmere and linen.
The inspiration behind the work comes from atmospheric landscapes and skies in the British Isles. The narrative seeks to explore the human relationship with the wild and our loss of connection to the land. The most recent body of work is drawn from a seven hundred mile solo bike ride through the north of England, Scotland and the Hebrides.
KULU considers the environmental and social impact of design and uses only natural fibres and processes which consider sustainability. Emma has undergone substantial research in natural dyes and sustainable textile production and continues to use this research to inform the approach to both her materials and practice.
Emma has recently graduated from an MA in Textiles at Bath Spa University and was formally trained for her BA in Textile Design at Falmouth Collage of Arts.
Contact Emma Fallon through her website
Instagram: @kulutextiles
Charlotte Hawson
Charlotte Hawson is an award-winning woven textile graduate. She draws inspiration from abstract and optical art movements, translating her everyday environment into abstract woven forms.
Charlotte believes that visits to new locations are integral to the development of her woven collections, using photography as her primary medium to instantly capture intriguing colour and shape combinations. Travelling to new, unseen environments allows for a constant gathering of fresh visuals; visuals capable of fuelling each new collection.
Back in the studio, Charlotte collages images and extracts colours, building an abstract snapshot of the scenery witnessed whilst in a location. Each collated colour palette is in turn translated into a collection of abstract gouache paintings; paintings which allow experimental pairings of colour to be explored before committing to the often-restrictive warp on loom.
Her most recent collection, Chromatic Contrasts, has been fuelled by a trip to New York, taking inspiration from the city’s boundless skyscrapers and light-filled glass faces. The collection comprises of contrasting colours, woven in such a way that the fabric alludes to a fluid three-dimensional form, echoing New York’s fast-paced and never-sleeping attitude.
Instagram: @charlottehowson.textiles
For further information please contact Charlotte Howson
“Wanderer” is a hand-woven exploration detailing the survival of the natural environment within the urban landscape. Beginning its journey on the winding canal ways of Central London with an in-depth detailing of the alternate lifestyle choice made by those living on the canal. Capturing the strength and sustainable innovation of those who choose to live afloat. Wanderer is a gathering of hand-woven textiles reflecting two sides of life along the canal, aesthetically driven to visualise both the poetic and laborious nature of boat dwelling.
A selective range of twill, tweed and shirting that are woven to endure exposure, weathering and hard work. Fibres carefully chosen for their protective quality, without compromising on character – they are ready for continuous cruising.
For the last four years, Jaeyong Kim has lived in England and become grown an appreciation for British work-wear and practical garments that are made to last. He finds interest in practical woven techniques that create strength in his fabric to give the wearer confidence and sense of security. During this time, he studied textile design at Central Saint Martins, where he consistently drew influence from his surroundings; building facades, winding canals or sweeping parkland. These elements of inspiration are seen throughout his work.
Contact Jaeyong Kim
Instagram:@jaeyong.studio
Rhianna Parker-Yates
My current collection ‘A Fragmented Memory’ is a personal interpretation of the psychological theory ‘Magical Thinking’. It investigates how awareness in early childhood can lead to the belief that the physical world can be influenced.
This body of work explores how I have perceived childhood memories of influential ‘elderly people’ in my life, particularly, my grandmothers. I reflect on familiarities within my memories, such as colour, objects and clothing, to inspire a collection of woven textiles for the body. Unraveling perceptions of the past to create symbols and motifs that build a new world around a memory. Tactility, movement and the body juxtaposed against the naïve and cyclical imagery in the textiles emulates the formation of a memory.
My aim was to develop a collection of woven textiles made for a timeless garment that could be passed through generations and kept for a long time. Discarding the idea of throwaway fashion and designing for longevity and a variety of ages – from grandmother to daughter to granddaughter. The final aesthetic presented an amalgamation of styles from the simple elegance of classic styles to the playful nature of more modern design.
I use woven textiles as a medium to explore colour, shape and composition. Drape and tactility are important features of my work – combinations of matte and metallic yarns, different thicknesses of materials like wool, mohair, viscose and cotton are contrasted and combined to create an air of elegance.
Rhianna Parker Yates is a 2019 graduate from the Royal College of Art in London. Her variety of projects from the course were vast with a strong focus on narrative and current and forecasted global themes – from design for future protection to future transport design and fashion made to last.
As well as the textiles themselves, Rhianna focuses interest on the mood and emotion they evoke and aims to build a world around the material. There is an artistic aesthetic to her work, formed from painterly ideas and story-like meaning whilst maintaining a strong subjective function of design.
Contact Rhianna
Instagram: @rhiannaparkeryates
Joanna Rance
Synthetic, neon accents are peppered throughout a disrupted neutral palette in the graduate collection from Joanna Rance, entitled ‘Where the Mountain meets the Sky’ (SS20).
‘Where the Mountain meets the Sky’ comprises visual inspiration collected from English National Parks, such as the Peak District and Lake District. Focused on conceptual notes of quintessentially British etiquette, a playful narrative personifies both the Mountain and the Sky as characters of their own. The collection surrounds itself around the whimsical tale of these two entities meeting one another, once the clouds have finally cleared. Wool and Silk based tweeds are paired with illustrative Jacquards to complete the story.
Literary influence is introduced through the poetry and musings of William Wordsworth, with particular reference to his work ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud‘ (1804). Emphasis on linear Mountain skylines, British Wildflowers, and panoramic landscapes can be noted throughout the collection, amongst both hand woven, Jacquard woven, and digitally printed fabrics. A trio of hand woven Organza Pussybows are central to the story.
Joanna Rance graduated with a First Class BA (Hons) in Textiles: Innovation and Design from Loughborough University, specialising in Woven Textiles. Strong narratives tend to direct her Woven collections, with quite literal and playful explorations of structure emerging from her extensive drawing practice.
See the full ‘Where the Mountain Meets the Sky’ fashion film
Instagram: @jorancetextiles
Eve Row-Care
Eve Row-Care is a textile graduate from The University of Brighton. She is a creative and innovative woven fabric designer, inspired by her own heritage of weavers and most at home when experimenting and working with colour.
This project has arisen from visiting India in January 2018, exploring Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Hampi, Mysore, and Chennai. The incredible colours and shapes of the buildings within Indian architecture have been her source of inspiration. The daring use of pattern and form, in addition to the wild colour combinations, encouraged the creation of a large collection of photographs for visual research material and for the extraction of the patterns, colours and details.
When travelling it was apparent that the houses had a large variety of different styles and colours. The element that was also of significance during this journey was a sense of movement when passing through the scenery. Rather than just observing the static shapes and colours, the photos were edited to give a feel of moving past in order to lose the architectural feel and to become more of a complex pattern. In summary, this journey looked at the contrast between static geometric buildings and the passage between buildings. Eve investigated architects which all have their own distinctive style and have taken westernised characteristics to India. These ideas led to the final collection of woven textiles, using organzine warps, enabling Eve to develop a truly distinctive style. In addition to the woven collection, Eve has created a selection of printed fabrics, using her initial research. Creating a juxtaposition of collaged shapes and fusion of colour.
Instagram: @Evekumaridesign
Contact Eve Row-Care
I have just graduated from Winchester School of Art, with a degree in Fashion and Textile Design, specialising in woven textiles. My final major project was created from my interest in Freuds theory of the Uncanny, which I first learnt about in my art foundation course in college. Freuds theory of the uncanny is the idea of ‘something that is strangely familiar, rather than completely unknown’. I decided to collect my primary imagery by taking images of objects up close with a magnifying glass.
I wanted the viewer to not know what the object of the image was, but to find the image itself interesting. Collecting images with a variety of textures and patterns, I wanted to create a collection that contained all of these elements. In one of my samples, I created the illusion of hair using monofilament. This was intended for viewer to question the sample and what it was made of, which supports Freuds uncanny theory.
I chose to use a muted colour palette for this project, to focus on the textures and techniques of the samples. I wanted to try and think outside the box and find out how far I can push the limits of what I can weave. Â I wanted to create different feels within each sample, by using a variety of yarns, and created by own version of yarns/fabrics to weave into my samples.
I studied textiles as an A-level and then decided to study an art foundation in college. In my final project in foundation, I was challenged by my teacher to create something which is not focusing on the visually beautiful, but which is intriguing and unusual, which lead me to surrealism and Freud, which I have had an interest in ever since.
Contact Lucy Spendlove
Instagram: @lucyspendlove_textiles
With thanks to TexSelect website for the text about the organisation & also to all the featured Weave Designers for their personal text and images.
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