Collar
2017
Variety of metal thread work
Elena Thornton
This piece was the winner of the Hand and Lock award for Textile Art 2017. It represents a flower found on Bermuda where Elena was born, although it only flowers at night.
Fear and Faith
2018
Metal threads card, cotton linen
Alex Standring
This is one of three headdresses created by Alex for her theme of fear and faith. Here the spider is from the ‘fear’ side. Alex won the Hand and Lock award for Textile Art in 2018.
Street Wear
2019
Cotton fabric, cotton jersey, sari fabric, metal threads, high vis plastic and nylon
Dev Patel
Dev has fused classic embroidery techniques and patterns with contemporary street wear to give a great urban feel. Dev was top student in 2019. The metal work trellis would have been recognisable to people a thousand years ago but is used herein a very contemporary way.
Shoes for Sheme
2020
Leather, plastic, rubber, hand embroidery
Sabina Lima, Millie Whitehead, Erin Ledsom
Students were asked to design shoes for the Chinese shoe brand Sheme. The company were only meant to select one design but ended up choosing three which would be re-interpreted on shoes, some in print and some in embroidery. This came from a typical live project for second year students. The projects change each year.
Kimono
2020
Silk, organza, hand embroidery
Hisae Abe
This represents Hisae’s Mother’s wedding kimono but rather than interpreting it as a 2-dimensional fabric. Hisae chose to recreate it in three-dimensional form. Hisae was a runner up at the Hand and Lock awards and had this piece selected for the Crafts Council virtual show 2020. That year RSN students took five of the 40 places, the most from a single course.
Chair and Stool
2020
Wood, digital print, wool, hand embroidery, metal threads, cotton and wool
Lucy Tiley
This is not a chair and stool for sitting but pieces of Textile Art for which Lucy was a runner up at the Hand and Lock awards. The stool especially has a really vibrant three-dimensional quality from all the embellishment.
‘The Lost Garden’
2018
Wool, cotton hand embroidery, glass jewels metal threads
Livia Papiernick
The cloak was one of four pieces by Livia for her Final Major Product. Livia was top student 2018. The cloak has been selected to represent the contemporary aspect of the RSN for the anniversary.
Lamp and Rug
2018
Wood, felt, embroidery, wool cotton
Jasmine Dawson
These are two of the pieces from Jasmine’s final show which was focused on interiors. In particular she showed how her slotted together lampshade could also be used in different ways.
Dress
2019
Charlie Ann Ellis
Charlie’s graduate collection ‘Bending Structure” is inspired by Deconstructivist architects. And aims to question the boundaries between fashion and sculpture, and the technical conventions of Blackwork. With Zaha Hadid as a key source of inspiration, Charlie wanted to translate a clean, modern aesthetic with this sculptural approach to hand embroidery for fashion. Deconstructivism as a movement challenged what could be done with architecture – and Charlie wanted to take this concept through into hand embroidery. This piece in particular used a very lightweight fabric, but constructed in a way that defies gravity – adding structure and strength where it wouldn’t otherwise be by pleating, starching and adding wire. The surface was created using a pleating and dyeing technique to add depth and an abstract pattern, further emphasised with a tambour embroidery pattern that crosses in amongst the pleats in a strong geometric design.
Dress
2019
Cotton, linen, silk organdie, cotton cords, wool, sequins
Abi Noronha
Abigail’s graduate collection, inspired by Lucian Freud’s quote “everything is autobiographical and everything is a portrait”, utilises an innovative approach to hand embroidery, blurring the line between art and fashion. Abigail takes a strong painterly approach to design, working from large scale expressive paintings. The translation of these into embroidery is a very fluid and experimental process for Abigail. Abigail uses natural fabrics, including cotton and silk blends, cotton linens and silk organdie. These have been selected because they are lightly woven and translucent allowing her to build layers of texture just like when painting. This piece is embroidered with cotton cords, wool yarns and sequins naturally following the folds, curves and creases of the fabric.
Beyond the Binary Wave
2021
Wool, cotton, metal thread embroidery
Millie Whitehead
Beyond the Binary Wave’ was inspired by gender, fluidity and movement. “I knew I wanted to create a gender fluid collection, and this came from looking at my own wardrobe and my own experiences when shopping. I looked at water as a representative response to my beliefs about gender. Taking inspiration from its freedom, fluidity, and strength. I have created embroideries which wrap around the body on my tailored garments which, to me, symbolises the growing change in the fashion industry and the fact that gender fluid fashion isn’t a trend that’s going to be short lived, it’s a movement that will continue to grow.”
Odyssey of Grief – Silver Crown
2021
Metal threads, cotton, linen, glass jewels
Rebecca Offredi
‘Odysseys of Grief’ is a body of embroidered work strongly rooted in emotional memories from the last two years of Rebecca’s life. “During this time, I experienced an unexpected series of events which caused great personal upset, grief and loss. These events led to a bout of profound anxiety and depression, which in turn affected nearly every aspect of my life, both professional and personal. My most successful work to date has been strongly rooted in emotional memories; both good and bad. It therefore seemed sensible, apt and almost cathartic to use such current and strong emotional memories from my life as a basis for this new collection. The second crown, silver, represents the retreat, as you pull back from everything to regather yourself and try to rebuild.”
Dead Bod and Chip Spice
2021
Plastic, wool, paint, hand embroidery
Erin Ledsom
‘Through my eyes’ is a personal story which focuses on Erin’s hometown of Hull. Through her distinctive, joyous style of design work and stitch she focuses on a sense of place and belonging. Erin explores the preconceptions made about the city and hopes through her exciting style of work it will showcase her cultural heritage in a positive way and make residents feel proud of their home and for others to see the city in a new light.
The Preciousness of Life
2021
Metal wires, cotton, wool, glass bowl
Lucy Martin
‘The Preciousness of Life’ is a meditation on the beauty and serenity of nature married with a sense of nostalgia and family in a series of hand embroidered sculptural objects. Inspired by Lucy Martin’s garden at her family home, this personal project reflects the aspects of her life she holds most dear through the art of bespoke hand embroidery flowers. Lucy won the RSN and the Broderers’ Prize at the Hand and Lock awards 2021.
Transcending Cells: The Unseen Tactile Biology
2021
Felicity Billing
This piece is part of a collection of body adornment garments inspired by abstract shapes found in both human and plant cells unseeable to the naked eye. The work is multi-textured using French knots, beads and pleating, combining fashion and art.