PAPER, LACE AND RIBBONS

I collect fabric, lace and ribbons, but also anything with an interesting print like paper. So next to my boxes of material, I have bags of rolls of paper. Combining both is an interesting challenge that many artists have met by creating items with paper usally made from fabric or vice versa.

 

So I have created greeting cards for all occasions which always sell well at craft fairs. The secret to make successful cards lies in the design, the theme which will appeal to all. Once you get it right, everything follows.

 

Then you need a range of interesting paper, ribbons, lace, buttons or anything to do with sewing. There are some interesting creations made from cutting pages of books and sewing them together in patterns. However, I am not comfortable with the idea of cutting up books, which are sacred to me. Maps can be an interesting alternative too.

You may use fabric and sew it directly onto the card with a sewing machine using large stitches. It looks lovely and very effective, but it's a lot of work. Obviously, when making commercial items, you ought to bear in mind how long it takes you to make the card and if it's worth the effort; people will not buy cards which cost beyond what they are prepared to pay for a small item.

You can leave the cards blank or write a message. For this, I use a nib and ink, but you could make a collage in a ransom-letter style, or anything you can think of.

 

To make cards you need:
Card, Cartridge or watercolour paper
Interesting paper, old books or maps
Lace, ribbons or small buttons
Glue
Sharp blade to insert lace or ribbon
Nib and ink
Glitter glue, sequins

You can buy these cards via my on-line Folksy shop.

FROM CLUB TO CATWALK: LONDON FASHION IN THE 80'S

                         
I nearly didn't go to this latest exhibition at the V&A. I was already living in London at that time and remember clothes designers used to make then well, but it wasn't my scene at all, and I hated most of it.
Unlike today, fashion was still created by youth itself and young designers who were part of the club scene. It had a direct link with music, lifestyle and DIY punk ethics. However, it was very cliquey and if you didn't share the same taste in music and go to these clubs which were rather elitist, you were cast out as a dinosaur (already!) stuck in punk or worse, victim of the strong mod-skinhead 60's revival, which was my case.

Fashion was outrageous, silly, glam, unwearable and sexless. The fabrics were mostly stretch jersey, Lycra, anything shiny like vinyl or metallised. They were a lot of experimentation with painted fabrics in tribal design. Silhouettes were deconstructed, exaggerated or showing of the body never seen before. Out of these trends emerged the brilliant Body Map and their two-tone graphic designs on stretch jersey and frilly knitwear. They invented the modern silhouette with body hugging jersey tops, mini skirts and leggings. I remember buying a round vinyl shoulder bag printed with their iconic two-tone star. They have created a beautiful top based on their archives for the exhibition priced £95 you can purchase at the exhibition shop.

  

Vivienne Westwood also made an impact on the period, notably with the mini crini and the corset, which are still valid to this day. John Galliano produced his first collection and a number of well-known designers still in business are also on display. Most notably Katherine Hamnett put large political or eco slogans on T-shirts which may have been inspired by Punk but made an impact on the catwalk for the first time.

My problem with the V&A is the lack of interaction and the deadening effect of the museum environment which effectively kills all the freshness and impetuousness of those vibrant creations. The Textile and Design Museum can organise the same kind of thing ten times better. The whole thing feels stiff and contrived.

I can't help thinking that a "Tracey Emin treatment" would be more appropriate to show that kind of clothing. After all, we all used to live in squats, make clothes ourselves or buy them at Kensington Market, party in them, sit on floors, throw them on beds or at the bottom of wardrobes. They were never made to be shown in museums this way. I cannot get used to the fact that now you can only see them from afar outside the context they were meant to be worn.

Entrance fee: £5. Until 16 February 2014
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-from-club-to-catwalk-london-fashion-in-the-80s/visitor-and-ticket-information/

MEN'S "LORD OF THE MANOR" CUSHIONS

Description

Stuck when it comes to make a present for the man in your life (or your dad, brother or boss)?These two cushions sold separately, are ideal men’s gifts. They are 40x40, handmade appliqué coat of arms on wool. Made with felt, antique buttons, ribbons, military patches and chains, they are unique and will please any man with a taste for history. Make sure you indicate which one of the two you want to purchase (roses or leaves). These cushions have been treated with textile sealant to prevent stains and dirt.

Inspiration

Men are notoriously difficult to please when it comes to presents. So I thought why not ally a male interest in history with home accessories, traditionally the domain of women? I also collect buttons and ribbons, and together with historic and military imagery, I thought of producing appliqué cushions which could attract fans of Game of Thrones and The Tudors with coats of arms and roses, crowns and chains. Men are hardly catered for when it comes to home decoration, but these cushions will guarantee to make any man happy, matching their interests with a gift with real originality specially made for them in mind.
ON SALE
These cushions are on sale separately in my on-line shop @ £37 each through Folksy or $55 each through Etsy.

MADE IN BRITAIN

Glass and metal corporate look for rag superstore

UNMADE IN BRITAIN

Whilst travelling on the upper deck of a bus through Oxford Street, I saw the truly ugly side of British retailing. Where music stores used to trade, cheap and unremarkable clothes brands have replaced them. However, these superstores don't participate to British culture. If anything they devalue it by flooding the country with standardised clothes made abroad. There's nothing British, original or well-made with quality here, just uniforms for a mass international market which doesn't distinguish between the consumer in Madrid, Berlin or London.

What colour for your uniform?

DISASTROUS IMAGE
                                
I was looking at huge glass façades of plain T-shirts and shorts with no more character than uniforms for a docile consumer who'd buy anything as long as the picture is big enough to lure them inside with the cheapest price tags imaginable. There's nothing to be proud of, especially when you know the amount of misery and even death these labels cost, in human, environmental and financial terms. Furthermore, is that all London has to exhibit to tourists? Oxford Street is ugly enough and not the best London architecture can offer, but I wonder if the Mayor has taken a trip recently through the most commercial street of the capital. If this is what London is all about it is disastrous.

Ragmania hysteria

FASHION UNCONSCIOUS
                                             
Cheap clothes are not always bought because people can't afford more expensive clothes. They are bought on a weekly basis by people who can ill-afford them to look like celebrities, and think nothing of piling cheap and nasty clothes in their closets, wearing them a few times before burying them under even more cheap and nasty stuff. People don't buy music anymore, they buy rags instead. Deaths abroad, ever decreasing fashion cycles, problematic landfills or negative balance of commerce don't mean anything to them.

FIGHT BACK

The recent catastrophes in clothes factories in Bangladesh may have rattled some people, but too few to dent the appetite for these labels and superstores. However, there is trend to encourage the consumer with a conscience to buy British, and designers to manufacture in Britain. Here's some websites to help navigate what's currently on offer if as a consumer or as designer you are interested in buying or manufacturing British:


Labour Behind the Label is a pressure group who grades fashion brands. Click here to see how your favourite label scores: http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org/campaigns/itemlist/category/250-company-profiles


Website devoted to the promotion of products manufactured in Britain. You can add your product to their listings with a one-off fee of £25.
Visit: http://www.stillmadeinbritain.co.uk/


Make It British is devoted to British made-brands and UK manufacturing. You'll find a dierectory to guide you whether  wheryou're looking at buying or manufacturing as a designer. You can also feature your product. They have successfuly campaigned for a logo for british-made products which will be launched in September at London design Week.
Visit: http://makeitbritish.co.uk/


This is this the database of the UKFT, the UK Fashion and Textile association, the voice of the industry, with practical support and advice.
Visit: http://www.ukft.org/letsmakeithere/

LONDON FABRIC HABERDASHERY SHOPPING

Where fashion designers go to buy fabric in London? And film costumiers? Where do you find the right trimmings for a hat? And who sell feathers and sequins?
 
When it comes to buy fabric and haberdashery in London, I find that no website offers a complete and personalised list of suppliers.

So I compiled adresses which I have visited personnally in order to offer a range of suppliers wherever you live in London.

Obviously, you may know a good local shop you wish to tell others about. In that case, please contact me and I'll add it to my page.

For those who don't live in London, I've given website addresses when shops sell on-line so you won't feel left out.

I am preparing similar pages for Brighton and Paris.

Happy shopping!

DARN IT & STITCH

Great interview about an haberdashery owner in Oxford in the latest on-line Crafty magazine. How she went from a market stall to opening a shop and offering workshops. Extremely inspiring.



http://www.craftymag.com/item/302-chatting-with-darn-it-stitch

PARIS HABERDASHERY

Entrée des Fournisseurs
8 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Paris 3ème

Whilst walking through Paris, I came across a great haberdashery Entrée des Fournisseurs in the Marais. The shop is situated in the famous street rue des Francs-Bourgeois, in a beautiful courtyard. They sell trimmings, fabrics and everything you'd expect from a shop of this kind, including an amazing range of antique buttons. Well worth a visit. They also have an on-line shop: http://www.entreedesfournisseurs.fr/