MEET THE MAKER

I am a recent First Class graduate in BA(hons) Fashion Textile: Print from the University of the Creative Arts Rochester. 

I was born in a small town called Goondiwindi in Queensland, Australia and lived there for eleven years before moving to a small medieval fishing town, Rye in East Sussex. I get my passion for textiles from my grandmother where my earliest memories are sitting next to her watching her sew and do handy crafts. She often got me involved in making dolly’s and my own clothes. My Mother and Grandmother always encouraged me to draw, probably before I could even talk! Giving me pens and an old newspaper to ‘draw’ with in my highchair whilst mum would prepare dinner! 

During school my love for drawing, sewing, making and experimenting grew. I studied art at GCSE and then textiles and photography at A-level before deciding that I felt most passionate about textiles. During my degree I realised that my drawing skills developed from art and my photography – which is a pleasurable hobby – could be intergraded within textile and print design. Throughout my degree I was challenging new ways of incorporating other art mediums within textiles. 

Up to completing my degree I would consider myself as a ‘textile print designer’ whilst I am interested in fashion I wouldn’t regard myself as a ‘fashion designer’ as my interest in ‘fashion’ is more thoughtful in the way the textiles relates and converses with the body. That being said I am also very opened minded and interested in the effect textiles and colour have on an environment and the way it makes us feels. In the future I would like to be able to explore this further in the world of interior/exterior design. 

I often draw inspiration from my surroundings and personal concepts whether that be my heritage, present or futuristic ideas. I like juxtaposing these with other social concepts and allowing the development stage to take over and blossom into something far more exciting then I initially imagined. For me the textiles and print design come first before applying to which ever products may be suitable.