Catherine Tough
Catherine’s new take on knitting creates practical and beautiful items to give and enjoy. Her knitted hearts have the added benefit of being sophisticated lavender bags with that lavender crunch when you squeeze them and the lovely scent.
Her cushions are elegant fashion accessories and her knitted shawls feature in the new edition of Elle Decoration Magazine.
Hinnigan Textiles
Hinnigan creates beautiful fabrics and accessories in Scotland; the choice of renowned fashion houses worldwide.
Hinnigan Fabrics was established in 2001 by Brian and Anna Hinnigan. Both are graduates in textiles and worked with high profile names for over a decade before starting up their own label.
The distinctive Hinnigan style is the work of fabric designer Brian Hinnigan and has been inspirational to fashion houses Bill Blass, Paul Costelloe, Ann-Louise Roswald, Eley Kishimoto, Agnes B, Pringle, Matthew Williamson and others. Brian Hinnigan’s fabric designs can also be seen in the latest Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows. Hinnigan’s export markets include Japan, Korea, Europe and North America.
The company ethos combines contemporary design and technologies with the traditional craftsmanship of the Scottish borders textile industry. The resulting unique collection of fabrics and accessories is produced to a quality standard hard to find in an age of ‘throw away’ fashion.
Often copied, but always original, Hinnigan continues to push the boundaries of woven design.
Rachel Reilly
Rachel knits fine coloured copper wires to produce an elegant array of jewellery from the everyday to the delightfully exotic. The range of colours achieved with the lustrous wires is complemented by Rachel’s painstaking constructions, from delicate earings to extravagant neck pieces. Each creation is unique and unrepeatable. Rachel can colour match to anything, commissions are a speciality.
Sibylle Wex
Sibylle’s painted silks are outstanding for their original designs, rich vibrant colours and impeccable finish. The range of things she makes is wide and, because of the way she works, her silk scarves for women, ties for men, her individual paintings or her cheerful greetings cards are all unique.
Silk painting looks deceptively simple but it is not for the faint hearted. It is an unforgiving medium with no room for hestitation or error. You need to have very clear design ideas and spontaneous execution. Marks once made by resist medium or brush cannot be corrected or erased.
Sibylle Wex was born in Hamburg and studied at the Fachhochschule in Bielefeld, Germany’s leading textile design school from where she graduated as the outstanding student of her year. She worked for a time in industry designing furnishing fabrics and carpets but for the past twenty five years she has lived and worked in Somerset as a silk painter.
Jenny Chippindale
An Art School training in Fashion has led Jenny to a lasting interest in all aspects of fibre & thread.
Since moving to rural Wales it seemed a natural progression for her to become interested in the possibilities of woollen fleece and it’s changing character when made into felt.
As a keen gardener the colours and textures from the garden are a big influence upon her work.
The Bloomsbury set at Charleston in the 1930′s have also inspired her.
Claire Armitage
Claire Armitage creates exquisite silk scarves to cherish. Each piece is handmade in Cornwall, adorned with beautiful textile prints inspired by Claire’s sketchbook drawings and illustrations. The prints are rich in narrative, blending floral and nautical imagery with literary references to poetry and fairytales. Each design is digitally printed and finished with delicately layered edgings, and hand-embroidered details.
These luxurious scarves comprise a range of designs and sizes. The Salt collection was inspired by the subtle hues of the Atlantic Ocean, the winding streets of St Ives, cliff-top flowers and the sweeping architectural lines of the Tate St Ives. The richly coloured and illustrative Iris Collection takes literary inspiration from poetry. The Sea Garden Collection blends nautical and floral imagery inspired by the subtropical gardens and fishing harbour near to Claire’s studio. The Feather House Collection layers imagery of Cornish streets with found objects such as feathers, fallen leaves and snail shells.
Textile designer Claire Armitage has also worked as a freelance costume designer for nearly a decade, she is a lecturer at University College Falmouth, and holds a BA in Textiles from Goldsmiths and an MA in Textile design.
