bespoke

Hawthorne & Heaney for H&M Bespoke- Tusse Eurovision 21

May 27, 2021 by Natasha Searls-Punter

A few years ago, we had the opportunity to work the the bespoke devision of H&M on an unusual project which would push our embroidery materials further than we had gone beofre. With them we developed these starburst from a combination of goldwork bullion, swarovski crystals, sequins, beads and most excitingly: reflective threads.

When the flash is on, you can really see these catch the light- perfect for an onstage performance.

Each one is built up out of the surface of the fabric for even more impact.

Up close, you get more of a sense of the detail that went into these piece with the pearle purl edging, raised cutwork purls, bugle beads and sequins coming into view. Playing with the textures to add interest however the light fall on them.

Now we have got to see the project brought to its conclusion when they were feautured as part of the outfit for Sweden’s entry to Eurovision Rotterdam 2021: Tusse. Worn as detatched black sleeves to his red velvet suit, the crystal and reflective thread made quite an impression during the performance. image courtesy of @tusseofc

Follow the link to see the full video of Tusse and the sleeves ‘in action’ during the Eurovision Final 2021.

Hawthorne & Heaney on The Marketplace

December 28, 2020 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Hawthorne & Heaney Personalisation booth in action

2020 has been a wierd year, for the past few years we have got into a rhythm that by the time about October comes, we will be doing a lot of monogramming and personalisation events. However this year, that didnt happen.

Kirk Original Glasses against a backdrop of Millie Bridget Henry Hankies and Tyler & Tyler Accessories

We could not just sit idly by though and not have an event, so we created one for ourselves. Along with a whole host of fabulous creators, we joined togather in the Service on Savile Row to create The Marketplace.

The Workers club gloves, Back Yard Gym Cold Brew and Coffee Beans from the Fresh Coffee Company, Wool Scarf from Dugdale Bros. and Co, Handkerchief by Millie Bridget Henry in a Hawthorne & Heaney Personalised Bag

Cad and the Dandy, Baron bags, Dugdale Bros and Co.,the Fresh Coffee Company, Kirk Originals, The Workers Club, Tyler & Tyler, Department Two, Kibble Watches, Tsai x Tsai, Millie Bridget Henry, Gotrich & Co. , Gownsmith, Colhays and Hawthorne & Heaney created a bespoke and specialist style items one stop shop. Curated to bring together hankerchieves, small batch roasted coffee beans, dressing gowns, glasses frames and personalised bags to name but a few, the Marketplace was a treasure trove of beautiful, unusual, crafted gifts.

Cad & the Dandy jackets, Millie Bridget Henry Hankies, Kirk Original Glasses

Sadly with the rerestricting of London going into tier 4, the marketplace is now closedbut we had great (safe) fun whilst we could- which feels like the whole of 2020 summed up dont you think?

Coffee Beans from the Fresh Coffee Company, Wool Scarf from Dugdale Bros. and Co, Handkerchief by Millie Bridget Henry in a Hawthorne & Heaney Personalised Bag

So if you’re think about next year and want to hold an event, get in touch, we’d love to hear from you and are raring to get out there (socially distanced of course)

Hawthorne & Heaney for Lord Justice Nugee

November 16, 2020 by Natasha Searls-Punter

A year ago, if you had said that we would all be wearing face masks as an everyday thing, most people would have thought it madness. However, that being the world we now live in, face masks have reached all the people of every industry. A short while ago, we were approached by a very thoughtful lady, Rose Nugee, who wanted to commission an extravagant mask for a special occasion.

Her father, the now Lord Justice Nugee, was having his judges swearing in which the judges wear their wigs and ceremonial robes but in these times of covid, they also need to wear a mask. Rose asked us to design and make a mask to compliment the ornate details of the robes which feature the chancellor’s lace and robe ornaments, and this is what we came up with.

The mask features 3 shades of gold thread stitched on black silk, with 2 internal layers and a black silk lining also (all washable). We added a little momogram to the side as well to personalise it even further (and so no one could possibly mistake that it was theirs other than Lord Justice Nugee)

It was lovely of them both to share these photos from the big day with us, with them both looking so proud.

Photo courtesy of Rose Nugee

The Lord Chief Justice, ‘Ian Burnett’ even mentioned the mask in his speach during the swearing: ”Might I also congratulate him, or I think moreappropriately his daughter, on the splendid face mask he is wearing.”

Photo courtesy of Rose Nugee

We were delighted with how the piece came out and it was a really lovely project to have worked on.

If you have a project you think we might be able to help you with, please get in touch by emailing our team on info@embroidery.london

Hawthorne & Heaney on Savile Row: Our New Showroom

October 19, 2020 by Natasha Searls-Punter

From 19/10/2020 the Hawthorne & Heaney team will be residents in The Service, a new lifestyle destination comprising a coffee shop, exhibition, retail and showroom space, now open at 32 Savile Row.

Hawthorne & Heaney are an embroidery firm who have a rich history of working on bespoke projects with Savile Row tailors alongside contracts for the Royal Household, Military, Film, Art, Theatre, PR and many other high profile private clients.

Although modern times and rising rents have seen the character of its future threatened, local landlords The Pollen Estate are seeing the value in ‘The Row’ as a character destination and are supporting innovative new and heritage brands to secure a position in this venerable location. The Hawthorne & Heaney front of house team will be offering bespoke embroidery services, on site, 10-4pm Monday – Friday by appointment and will be continuing large scale and confidential works in their new additional South London location.

“We are looking forward to contributing to the long standing tradition of hand made craft on The Row and we are excited about being in the midst of some of our most important clients again. This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with our roots and contribute to the community that was the biggest supporter in our early years.” says Claire Blok, the company founder. “The opportunity could not be missed, with a need for more space in these challenging times we are over the moon with the support we have received from the team behind The Service, Dugdale Bros. and the Pollen Estate in making our new showroom possible.”

There is also the exciting addition of a same day monogram service for the run up to Christmas, making ‘bespoke on The Row’ more accessible than ever.

Hawthorne & Heaney on Wedding Invites

September 25, 2020 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Quite a few months ago, we were working on this really fun project that got us yearning for the summer when it was still a bit grey.

With it’s bright colours and quirky design, these have to be about the coolest wedding invites on the block. We were tasked with adding the stitching to the edges of these postcards in a thick, bright pink thread.

We would be chuffed to get one of these through the post, I’m sure you would agree.

So if you are planning now for a smaller, more personal feel to your invitations, why not consider having us help you with your own stitching style touches?

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 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 & Heaney on Textiles in Art

April 9, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Embroidery, much like fabric, is not made to last forever. So when we are looking for examples of historical textiles, sometimes, they simply do not exisit anymore as the fabrics disintergrate with age and use. However we do still have a source of what textiles might have looked like in their glory days in the form of painting.

During a recent trip to Amsterdam in the Rijksmuseum, we came across some wonderful examples of historical painting which showed great detail of the textiles that they protrayed.

Girl In White Kimono by George Hendrik Breitner

1894

most likely showing a print of Japanese origin

Pendant portrait of Oopjen Coppit By Rembrandt

1634

Demonstrating the fineness and whiteness of her flat lace collar

Portrait of Emperor Napoleon I by François-Pascal Simon baron Gérard

1804

Depicting traditional goldwork techniques and bullion fringing

We also have had one of our interns, Amy Pickard working on a project for us in house where she chose a painting which featured a beautiful piece of textiles and has been working to recreate it herself.

For the project, she starting point with a visit to the National and National Portrait Galleries. Here she collected primary research of examples of historical textiles. There was a lot of symmetry and geometric shapes as well as a heavy use of floral motifs. It was wonderful to see so many paintings with gorgeous details and being able to name techniques documented.

Hawthorne & Heaney on Textiles in Art London Hand Embroidery

After the trip, the photos were sorted through and drawing were made of some of the details. For this she used a lot of Ecclesiastical paintings or portraits of past nobels.

Along with the photos she assembled a moodboard to help to keep her on track with the aims of the project.

Having attended a tambour beading class with our partner company, (London Embroidery School) she decided to recreate one of the motifs using this technique.

And then followed up with two other samples on velvet in CAD machine embroidery using similar repeats from the isolated motifs.

All in all we are really excited by the outcomes of the project and think that Amy should be really please with them too!