Orchids for Olympia

Kate Scorey

“I first learnt about the RSN through my grandmother. She has dedicated her life to craft, tailoring and continuing the creativity side throughout her grandchildren. She motivated me to look into the course; which merged well with my interests in fashion, design and stitching. I loved that the history and art were combined to create a niche subject (and studying in a Palace is a huge bonus!!).

Creating a sacred object by hand, such as wedding attire, adds luxury to facilitate the movement into the next stage of life. The garments allow each client to show off the individuality of the couple and the deeper emotional connection to each other. Researching the client allows me to find personal details to embroider into this special garment to create something that resonates their personality and journey.

My work demonstrates, highlights and signifies important elements of the wearer’s story and, in this particular project, ‘Orchid’s for Olympia’, the wedding garment had a multifaceted purpose. Princess Olympia of Denmark and Greece is at the centre of this composition, her wedding garment not only has signification on a national scale but should have additional personal value known to the bride. Olympia’s love for florals, in particular orchids, made this the perfect muse for the embroidery. Blackwork drew upon the lace seen in her mother’s dress, Goldwork giving the garment luxury and Tambour Beading to give the dress a couture modern design to suit her own style. An important element to this project, and future projects, is ensuring that my practice can tailor to all couples and individuals no matter their culture, gender or relationship. Not just catering for women but also for men, especially as a wedding no longer only means man and woman.

I have loved being a part of preserving the art of hand embroidery. From working inside a Palace to making a life-long group of friendships, I have enjoyed growing my skill set and being part of such a niche market. If I had to pick, Silk Shading would be my favourite technique, but it is closely followed by Goldwork and Tambour Beading. Through my interests in wedding wear, I have already been making and designing wedding veils for international clients, including bespoke commissioned pieces. I am going to launch my own hand embroidered wedding wear brand, ‘Madelynne’, which aims to create both complete customisable garments and ‘off-the-rack’ designs too.”

 

You can follow Kate on her Instagram page.

 

« back