Congratulations to Issy For Her Final Graduate Textile Collection

Celebrating Issy's Graduation! We’re thrilled to share that our 2023 placement student, Issy, has officially completed her Textile degree at Loughborough University! During her time with us, Issy made a fantastic contribution to the team, bringing creativity, energy, and a fresh perspective to every project she worked on. It’s been a pleasure to watch her grow, and we’re incredibly proud of everything she’s achieved. Congratulations, Issy! We can’t wait to welcome you back!

This project reimagines the endangered craft of passementerie, a woven technique for creating ornate decorative trim, by exploring its potential within contemporary accessory design. Through playful experimentation with scale, the incorporation of utilitarian metals like washers, and vibrant colour, my work challenges conventional notions of passementerie and repositions it in a modern context. Using these utilitarian metals plays with the relationship between function and decoration, challenging the value we attach to materials. By applying surface treatments, metal components are transformed into dynamic embellishments that inject colour and intrigue into the designs. Presented as a series of handbag straps, the collection celebrates carrying passementerie forward, continuing the craft in a modern context as an accessory for self-expression, craftsmanship, material innovation, and conceptual design.