We are incredibly proud to have three RSN Degree Graduates selected for The Métiers d’Art Embroidery Fellowship, a 24-week programme with CHANEL & The Prince’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Fellowship in Partnership with Le19M.

Read RSN Degree Graduate Elsa’s Story:

I took part in a 24-week programme with CHANEL & The Prince’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Fellowship In Partnership with Le19M. This started at the end of January this year, located at The CHANEL Métiers d’art Training Atelier at Highgrove Gardens. I was made aware of the course by Angie Wyman who encouraged me to send an email to The Prince’s Foundation expressing interest in the course. The application process involved submitting an application form, a 10-page digital portfolio and a 2-minute video about myself. I then attended an interview with The Prince’s Foundation at Highgrove, where I met the course co-ordinator and The Prince’s Foundation’s senior educator manager.

The first stage of the programme was about homing in on embroidery skills. In the first week of the programme, we all went to Paris to expand and perfect our skills in Tambour. We at trained Ecole Lesage for a week practising the skills for Lesage Level 1 and started Level 2 at The CHANEL Métiers d’art Training Atelier at Highgrove Gardens.

The next stage was about experimentation. Our brief was to create a piece of embroidery inspired by Highgrove Gardens. I was inspired by the overgrown fountain in the Kitchen Gardens. I was drawn to the texture of the overgrown moss and the water flowing from it. I come from a farming background and through my research I discovered the agricultural practice of the “golden hoof” practised at Highgrove in the Wildflower Meadow. This is when sheep walk and manure over the fields to keep the ground fertile, hence the “Golden hoof” bringing this unique personal element to my project. I wanted to create a feeling of controlled chaos when people look at the work. We also visited Paris where we had an atelier emersion week at Le19m. I spent a week in Lesage where I got to look through the archives room, I got to pick materials for my piece. I also got to speak with the artistic director about my work and they were able to give me feedback.

The final stage of the course was working on our final embroideries. We all chose a pattern piece that we would embroider that would go next to a toile for the final exhibition. The work that was emerging from this project focuses on the play between masculine and feminine but is reinterpreted with plants, this is why my final pattern piece was a suit sleeve. I have also like to create a sense of humour with my work by creating a gardener character for the piece to tell a story, couture for gardeners!  Inspired by androgynous and abstract art. The work got displayed in slate frames.

Fringe and discontinuous chain stitch are the main techniques I used in my piece. Starting with the discontinuous and it gets denser as it moves down the piece turning into fringe adding movement to the piece. This in turn translated the texture of the overgrown fountain.

This experience has made my skills much more refined. I’m much more confident as an embroiderer and know where I sit in the fashion industry. I’ve also made friends with the other people on the course, and we all got on very well during the course. I had pictures taken of my work and advice for my portfolio. The main thing I got out of this experience was a great portfolio ready to step into the fashion industry and Haute couture.

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Image Credits: Ana Clark