The Cass to stage Fabric of the City in mid-July to celebrate the legacy of the Huguenot Weavers

I am very pleased to learn that The Cass, London Metropolitan University is staging a major contemporary textile exhibition called Fabric of the City, to celebrate the legacy of the Huguenot Weavers in Spitalfields, East London coinciding with the Huguenots of Spitalfields festival, taking place during the summer across the capital. 

To be honest, I did not know much about the Huguenots but my interest in them increased recently after seeing British actress Julia Sawalha on the BBC programme Who do you think you are? in which she traced her maternal ancestry through her grandmother and found that she is a descendant of the Huguenots, French protestants who migrated to the UK in the 17th century and settled down in the Spitalfields.

Cass course leader and curator, Gina Pierce comments: “It’s surprising how few people have heard of the Huguenots, as their influence on craft and design was incredibly widespread, with the legacy of the weavers in Spitalfields having a lasting effect on the local textile industry.’’

Pierce added that the upcoming Fabrics of the City exhibition will highlight the creativity of 14 East London-based textile and fashion designers - including CuteCircuit, House of Flora, Jane Bowler and Alison Willoughby to name a few – who were invited to respond to the rich heritage of the Huguenots silk weavers that made Spitalfields a leading textile centre in the 17th Century, and create original work to be displayed in the Cass Bank Gallery.

One example of the stunning designs created for the high society by the Huguenots is The Fanshawe Dress (above), on display at the Museum of London.   An exceptional example of their highly skilled workmanship, this piece features signature silver thread and lace - distinctive features in the Huguenots’ designs, which have served as a starting point for the new designs exhibited in Fabric of the City. 

With first-hand access to archive material from the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Museum of London, the designers carry the legacy of the Huguenot Weavers to their contemporary practices - from the choice of materials to the use of cutting-edge techniques – to craft unique exhibits, celebrating the skills and creativity in fashion and textile design of East London as well as the continued influence of the Huguenots on the textile courses run by the Cass.

Between 1670 and 1710, up to 50,000 Huguenots fled to the UK from France, and particularly to Spitalfields, bringing with them their exceptional silk weaving skills. Spitalfields had always had a silk weaving industry but the influx of such skilled craftsmen, along with the increase in the availability of silk, made the area a leading fashion production centre for the British upper class.

Today, London designers use distinctive features found in the Huguenots designs as a starting point for their creative works exhibiting in Fabric of the City.

Jane Bowler's Copper Dress

One such piece is Jane Bowler’s Copper Dress (on the right here), which draws inspiration from the use of metallic thread.

The Copper Dress has been constructed using hand-cut plastic multiples in combination with soft metallic strips, hand-woven throughout the garment, allowing the material to organically grow over the body of its wearer.

Bowler’s fascination with material innovation, process and craftsmanship – practised by applying traditional techniques with a modern twist – also mirrors the Huguenots’ inventive choice of materials and skilled craftsmanship.

CuteCircuit, The Eliza Dress, Pink and Black

Separately innovative use of materials is also a key aspect of the work of Shoreditch-based designer label CuteCircuit which creates haute couture clothing that has micro-electronics embedded into the fabrics, pushing the boundaries of wearable technology to create beautiful, interactive garments. For Fabric of the City, CuteCircuit continues to push the boundaries of this technology by presenting the K-Dress, a ready-to-wear version of the bespoke CuteCircuit creation worn by Katy Perry to the 2010 Met Gala. The delicate pleated silk chiffon seamlessly merges with the micro-lighting smart textile to create a magical garment that can change colour controlled by an iPhone App.

Fabric of the City runs at the Cass Bank Gallery from 10 -31 July 2015.  A number of workshops and talks will run throughout the exhibition.  These will include a Fabric of the City Symposium at The Cass (14 July), featuring talks by speakers from the V&A and the Royal College of Art, looking at different aspects of fashion-making in the area of Spitalfields, from 17th Century uses through to today.