Sibling | HAWTHORNE & HEANEY

Here in the H&H studio we have fallen head over heels back in love with Gold work. After having this lovely piece framed which was on show at the Henry Poole Exhibition at the Bowes Museum, we can;t get enough of this amazing technique. The series starts with the rubbing (far left) taken from a Privy councillors coatee. This was then turned into a clear trace of the original pattern from which an embroidery draft can be created (centre). The far right image is that of the part finished embroidery showing the various layers that build together to make the final effect of the gold work.

Now Spring/Summer 2015 fashion weeks have officially come to a close, we couldn’t help but notice some the the gold and metal work details popping up. We can always trust that Dolce and Gabbana will display luxurious gold work inspired pieces and this season, they did not fail us.

Dior took a more subtle approach, applying this tradition technique in the details of their long length jackets, bringing a lady like edge to these masculine shape inspired pieces.

If you find yourself interested to know more about this historical technique there is a Beginners Goldwork course at The London Embroidery School starting next Wednesday, so don’t wait to secure your place. You can also find examples of Hawthorne & Heaney’s use of Goldwork in the portfolio of our website:

Hawthorne & Heaney for Sibling

Hawthorne & Heaney always watch the emergence of new fashion graduates with great interest and feel its very important to encourage young designers in order to propel fashion forwards. Over the last week there has been plenty of new talent coming through and this talent has been displaying a range of extremely innovative embroidery. Starting with CSM and RCA and working into graduate fashion week there has been plenty of techniques on display.

Olga Kuryschuk displayed a delicate silver and white collection, with lace applique and a swathe of crystals strewn across the garments in a nonchalant manner.

Amie Robertson and Richard Quinn opted for bolder, structural applications of large shaped sequins or floral pieces for a more 3D effect.

While Flora Cadzow incorporated fine machine embroidery into her sheer fabrics.

London is always such a haven for young designers because it is so open to embracing the experimental, innovative and the quirky. Therefore finding new and exciting ways to present embroidery and reinvent old techniques in fashion gives is very exciting and challenging. In the past, we have had great fun working with emerging designers, like these graduate may go on to be.

We work with the designer right through from the initial idea, translating drawings into embroidery during the sampling process, development, placement and finally the realised products in production. In collections past we have worked with designers such as Isa Arfen, Reem Juan, Sibling, and Claire Barrow just to name a few.

Free Falling Crystal and Bead Tassels from Isa Arfen

Delicate Silk shaded body suit from Reem Juan

Islamic Inspired floral goldwork cap from Sibling

Fully couture beaded dress from Claire Barrow

Being a London based studio, we provide a more inclusive approach to embroidery for fashion as well as being able to modestly boast 15 collective years of industry experience. If you have an idea about some embroidery that you would like to have done, but don’t have the capacity to make it happen, contact us and we can see what we can do to make it a reality. For more examples of fashion embroidery by Hawthorne & Heaney, have a browse of our pinterest board

Hawthorne & Heaney on Gold work

London Fashion and H&H