Fashion

Hawthorne & Heaney for Ugg Boots

November 14, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

With Christmas approaching, we are springing up all over the place for personalisation event. We go into stores, with our machines and personalise people’s purchases from that store while you wait adding that extra special touch.

Recently we have been going to Ugg stores, in a wide range of locations, to add people’s initials to their Ugg boots. Most of these events were all on the same days in all the different locations so it didn’t matter where you were, we were probably close by!

Le Marais Store, Paris

Manchester Store, UK

Oberhausen Store, Germany

Lyon Store, France

St Germain Store, Paris

Bluewater Store, UK

Westfield Store, London

We have a few more of these Ugg events coming up in December, so watch our instagram for details of where you might be able to catch us while you can.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits ‘Wonderful Things’ at the V & A Museum

November 6, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

‘Tim Walker: Wonderful Things’ is the new exhibition on at the V& A Museum this winter. Looking at the works of fashion photographer, Tim Walker; expect to be amazed and delighted by the fantastical worlds he creates for his photographs and the stunning presentation of them by world leading design museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum.

Chances are, you have probably come across Tim Walker’s work before, whether you knew it or not. He has been working for publications such as Vogue from the the start of his career and over the last 30 or so years, he has come to produce a great number of works. The first room is a celebration of this as many well know pieces are displayed here so you can bounce from one catagory to the next with pangs of recognition.

The Dress-Lamp Tree, Tim Walker, 2002, England

After you are introduced to Walker and given some context about the exhibition, that’s when things get really interesting. For this exhibiton, Walker has produced several series of new works, inspired by the items in the V&A’s own collections as inspiration.

It is always lovely to see a maker’s process, so the addition of sketchbooks to the exhibition is a welcome insight into their minds.

Along with the props, the sets that Walker builds are rich and diverse, providing much interest in themselves alone even without a moving subject in them.

In typical Walker style, there are oversized props which give a fantastical element to both the photos and the exhibition.

I particularly enjoyed the section inspired by a 400 year old embroidery box and chamberlain’s key. Partially because, as an embroiderer, I am pleased to see any uses of embroidery that raise its profile and highlight it’s beauty but also for the resulting series.

The exhibition acts as a masterclass in spring boarding inspiration from existing artworks and creating entirely new pieces from them. If you would like to see all the pieces in person, get down to the museum to experience their true magnitude.

”Tim Walker: Wonderful Things” will be on at the Victoria and Albert Museum until the 8th March 2020. Tickets from £15.00, free for members.

Hawthorne & Heaney on Frogging

October 18, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Frogging is an interesting word for an embroidery technique isn’t it. It is believed that it referes to the shape of the knot used in ‘frog fasteners’ with the center being the body and the sides being the wide back legs of the frog. The term over the years has come to refer to the embroidery done with this same type of appliqued chord onto garments though not resctricted to the original 3 part knot or for fastening purposes.

At Hawthorne & Heaney, we can produce traditional, hand embroidered frogging, where braid is manipulated and sewn down to create these elaborate patterns that you may recognise from historical garments and costume.

Peacoat with hand embroidered frogging detail by Gieves and Hawkes for Permanent style

Elaborate hand embroidered frogging sleeves before garment construction

We also can produce similar effects using digital embroidery:

Close up machine embroidery frogging on sleeves

Velvet smoking jacket with machine embroidery frogging sleeves for Arjan Blok

Playing cards inspired machine embroidery onto velvet sleeves before construction for Anderson and Sheppard

Playing cards inspired machine embroidery onto velvet fronts before construction for Anderson and Sheppard

Playing cards inspired machine embroidery onto velvet for Anderson and Sheppard

Anderson and Sheppard smoking jacket for the Beaumont Collection (LCW) . As photographed by Guy Hills

It is particulally fun when people want to push the traditional boundries with their order like these frogging inspired sleeves before construction:

Dogtooth sleeves with machine embroidered details for Kathryn Sargent

Hawthorne and Heaney Attends Amy Barrie 2020 Collection Preview

September 5, 2019 by Intern

This week we visited the preview presentation of the new London based designer Amy Barrie. Amy recently graduated from Central Saint Martins and her 2020 Womenswear collection demonstrates her understanding of how art and culture is central to fashion design. The collection celebrates the history of story telling and the garments are designed to empower the wearer through feminist text and imagery.

Amy Barrie wearing her machine embroidered two piece suit and t-shirt made by Hawthorne and Heaney.

The presentation was held at the Royal Academy and spanned across 3 grand rooms. We were greeted at the door by Amy who talked us through the collection and what we could expect to see in the presentation which involved young female poets modelling the garments in a set of luxurious regal sofas littered with news and campaign posters from the suffragettes. We were then free to walk through the rooms and talk to some of these poets wearing her empowering suits, dresses and t-shirts. When the audience was large enough the poets would perform feminist poetry that bought to life Barrie’s clothing. Their performances were incredibly moving and covered important topics such as sexism, rape and violence.

Spoken Word Poet Priscila Hernandez reading in Barrie’s digitally printed suit.

The idea of performance and event hosting is certainly a modern approach to viewing fashion yet it is understandable why it has become so popular with emerging designers with the growing demand from the consumer for an all encompassing and immersive shopping experience. Many fashion brands have also chosen this route and are rethinking retail as the rise of online shopping becomes a bigger threat to high street stores. Barrie has certainly noticed this and has found her audience through providing a storytelling experience with her clothing.

Her garments are covered from head to toe in written word, both hand and machine embroidered. A casual cotton t-shirt read ‘nether-the-less she persisted’ across the front, achieved through careful hand embroidery. A baby pink satin blazer with renaissance style puffed sleeves and pleating was printed with portraits of influential women such as Malala Yousafzai and Hilary Clinton. As well as using embroidery techniques, Barrie’s collection also involved a lot of print design for accessories; she had made boxing gloves, printed with feminist text as well as a cushion. Perhaps the most impressive piece was Barrie’s flouncy maxi dress, the skirt made entirely from Votes For Women sashes whilst the shoulders were covered in metal fountain pen nibs symbolising the importance of the written word but also taking the viewer on a journey back in time to the ages of calligraphy and poetry.

We found the exhibition both moving and empowering. Barrie’s collection is beautiful and elegant yet gives the wearer a sense of confidence and self-assurance. We cannot wait to see what’s next for Amy Barrie as she carves a path in the fashion industry.

Words and Photos by Florence Sargent

Hawthorne & Heaney visits ‘An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blankik’ at the Wallace Collection

August 21, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

‘A Girl Threading a Needle by Candlelight’ by G. Schalcken

The Wallace Collection is a hidden gem in London’s art history crown, which even this museum buff and lifelong Londoner has only just discovered. Set in a stunning 18th Century building on Manchester Square (just off Oxford Street) it is hard to believe it has taken this long to come across it. Housing some very famous works of art such as Hals’s ‘Laughing Cavalier’, Boucher’s ‘Madame De Pompadour’ and many Gainsborough’s there is plenty to see if you fancy a bit of an oppulent afternoon in the city. For keen stitchers, there are some stunning tapestry works as well as these 17th century wall hangings from Italy featuring lots of goldwork techniques. Now, until the end of August they have upped the ante a bit further by adding stunning couture shoes into the mix.

Wall hangings, Italian, c. 1650, maker unknown

For a limited time the Wallace Collection is also displaying a selection of footwear superstar Manolo Blahnik amongst their artworks. Unlike many other fashion exhibitions, this is more of an intergration of the shoes in amongst the other art, they sit alongside the permenant collection (sometime on them!) in carefully arranged bell jars. This makes the exhibiton much more intimate as you feel you can get up close to all the pieces on display and all are treated with equal respect.

The selection of shoes in each room has been themed to compliment the artworks they are among. A particular favourite of mine was the oval drawing room where the most decadent shoes Blahnik designed for Sofia Coppola’s film ”Marie Antoinette” are shown amongst the sweet coloured room featuring Fragonard’s ‘Swing’ and Boucher’s ‘Madame de Pompadour’.

From an embroidery perpective there are a few pieces that standout as particulally beautiful. These boots ‘ Lepanto’ (Davee) 2003 look to be a combinations of hand painting and embroidery to a very rich effect.

These pink petal encrusted pair called ‘Amir’ 1997 look like they belong with some of the dresses from the ‘Designer of Dreams’ Exhbition which is still on at the V & A Museum

Of course, there are beads so we couldn’t not mention ‘Zarina’ 2015 which are the very definition of encrusted.

Downstairs is a wall of the original sketches for shoes on display upstairs, showing Blahnik’s distinctive style and flare.

Overall it has all been very respectly done. It is clear from the selection that Blahnik is passionate about beauty and craftsmanship with many skills shown in his designs and revisited throughout the years. There is not much information on each of the pieces, a simple sticker of each one’s name and year leaves you with a few questions perhaps, but lets you enjoy them uninterupted.

‘An Enquiring Mind: Manolo Blahnik at the Wallace Collection’ is on until the 1st Sept 2019, Entrance is free.

Hawthorne & Heaney Visits Mary Quant at the V & A Museum

August 14, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

”From miniskirts and hot pants to vibrant tights and makeup, discover how Mary Quant launched a fashion revolution on the British high street, with over 200 garments and accessories, including unseen pieces from the designer’s personal archive. ”

Thai Two Piece (top circa 1960)

This time, the V&A’s fashion and textiles display has brought us straight into the swinging sixties with the ‘Mary Quant‘ exhibition which it is currently housing. Covering many aspects and influcences of the brand, this exhibition explains how Quant built such a sucessful label and how it came to influence the way we shop today.

Coat with Frogging Details

The begins of the brand were humble, with Quant stitching together pieces of an evening upstairs from her shop ‘Bazaar’ to be sold the following day. The inspiration for her pieces was drawn from necessity. Quant saw that girls didn’t necessarily want to dress like smaller versions of their mothers and wanted to make their own fashion choices. She identified that these people thought of themselves as more ‘easy going’ and ‘broad minded’ than the previous generation and wanted to express themselves as such; stepping away from the constrictive gurdles of the 50’s and into more flexible, playful pieces. You might say that what Mary Quant did for fashion in the 60’s was a kin to what Chanel did in the 20’s, providing a more comfortable alternative to the restrictive fashions of the previous decade and in turn allowing the wearer to make socio-political statements about themselves their beliefs (women’s roles in society and decorum for example).

Cotton Wrap Dress

The Quant brand started as a way to offer an alternavive way to dress, however there was always a strong undertone of inclusivity in the designs, and here we can see how Quant channels the 50’s shape she had previously moved away from. Reimagining it in a more comfortable wrap around style in a soft cotton fabric, she started to appeal to a whole new group to expant her following.

Manhattan dress (circa 1970)

Mini-Culottes dress

Upstairs the exhibition moves on to more about how the brand expanded as times moved on, displaying pieces from the 70’s onwards. You can see how the styles developed with the times, but Quant managed to balance the changing styles with some of her classic brand features.

Another area in which Quant was a revolutionary was in her makeup range. Like with the fashion, the makeup grew out of necessity as Mary felt that the people who were buying her items, needed to be able to do more natural, lighter make up to compliment the fashion choices they had made. Other make up brands available at the time promoted a much heavier made up look, which didn’t necessarily reflect the look people wearing Quant’s clothes wanted to create for themselves.

Here we can see how the strength of the branding comes into play. They focused on simplifing the process of making yourself up in the products which are often have multiple uses, were made to be able to fit into palettes for easy storage. The names also simply state what they do whilst having a sense of humour: ‘Cheeky’, ‘Tan Trap’ and ‘Grease Paint’ for example.

Mini Crinkle Dress

From an embroidery perspective, there unsuprisingly isnt much featured in this exhibition as it is more of a luxury technique (particulally during this time). However it isan interesting exhibition to look at from a textiles/ production view point as the brand being one of the first high street shops aimed at a younger market. Though there is an emphasis on accessibility for more people into fashion and therefore a lower than their contemporary competitiors price points for the items, there is still great quality to these items. This testament is shown in the vibrancy and how well the garments have still held their shape, particulally on pieces you can see have been worn and loved, but still are in great condition. It draws a stark contrast to some of the throw away fashion we have come to know when we think about ”accessibilty” on today’s high street. There are echos of the global responsibility we have for the planet in the fashion industry which was introduced in the ‘Fashioned by Nature‘ exhibition the V&A Museum held last year.

If this has tickled your fancy, the Mary Quant exhibition is on at the V&A Museum until 16th Feb 2020, tickets start at £12.00

Misshapes: The Making of Tatty Devine

August 8, 2019 by Intern

20 July – 11 August 2019
Lethaby Gallery (Central Saint Martins), 1 Granary Square, King’s Cross, London, N1C 4AA
Free Entry

By Abi Tominey-Smith

Crafts Council have collaborated with Central Saint Martins within the University Arts London to bring you Tatty Devine’s first solo showcase, including jewellery work, video footage, sketchbook drawings, fashion work and installation pieces. Set in a bright, open setting, reflecting the style of this incredibly cool brand.

University of the Arts London graduates themselves, Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden joined forces about 20 years ago to create the brand Tatty Devine, an original and independent jewellery company based in London. They have challenged the basic conventions of jewellery through their acrylic laser cutting, quirky design and use of scale.

Acid Blossom Ultra Bead Necklace by Tatty Devine.

This body of over 100 work shown spans over their whole creative careers as Tatty Devine, with themes across their collections from Rebellion, Space, Music, Magic, Food to even a reference to Haberdashery!

Being one of the first companies to use laser cutting as a jewellery making technique, their work was bound to stand out. You can see the talent and creative spark of these ladies, as their jewellery is full of originality and personality. The fun colours, shapes and larger scale they’ve played with definitely makes a statement.

Lobster Giant Necklace by Tatty Devine.

Inside Misshapes, there are multiple screens to showing a looped step by step video of how the various materials are turned into wearable jewellery through laser cutting and hand techniques. It shows the process of bending, joining and piecing together such pieces as the Lobster Giant Necklace (above). Many more wacky pieces, similar to the Lobster are on display here.

Tatty Devine are a company very passionate about change and equality which is obvious throughout their work and team with all of their jewellery handmade in the UK by a group of 30 women.

They’ve teamed with The Fawcett Society to fight for women’s rights and often pay homage to the movements such as LGTBQ+ through colour and wording, allowing for their platform to speak up and spread empowering, strong messages.

Courage Calls Necklace (left) and Votes for Women Badge (right) by Tatty Devine

‘Courage Calls to Courage Everywhere’, was a line taken from a speech by feminist Millicent Fawcett that was given after the death of fellow suffragette Emily Davidson. This along with the Votes for Women badges are Tatty Devine’s way of showing support for the suffragettes and women’s rights everywhere. This and many more under the theme of ‘Causes’ are displayed at the exhibition.

Rainbow Halo Instillation with Rosie (left) and Harriet (right) by Tatty Devine, 2018.

Another area covered within Misshapes is their public art, where more recently they have been commissioned to make works for spaces such as the Peninsula Square, Greenwich, where they’ve been able to take their use of scale to a whole new level. Themes of Love, Peace and Magic were the inspiration for this Christmas based instillation. More photographs of their crazy public displays are shown in the exhibition, alongside some of the pieces included.

Altogether, the exhibition was buzzing, innovative and a very engaging experience. With a broad range of subject matters, there’s something for everyone – whether you’re a creative mind or not. It’s definitely a must see!

All images (courtesy from the Misshapes exhibition)

Hawthorne & Heaney for FKA Twigs

July 31, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

It has been three years since FKA Twigs has given a live performance so when she announced her return to music with new songs and the ‘Magdalene’ tour, it was a safe bet that it was going to be epic. From all accounts, she has not disappoint as many people have been describing as ‘a masterpiece’ (anothermag.com) ‘feels at times more like an avant-garde dance piece than a pop show’ (NME).

Unsurprisingly, when superstar stylists Ed Kay and Matthew Josephs contatcted us, we jumped at the chance to work on the embroidery for the tour costumes. We produced a series of 5 pieces which formed a part of this visual treat and are delighted with how they turned out!Bandana and head scarf with leopard print sleeved corset

Leopard print sleeved corset

Monogram silver corset