Inspiring hand-woven contemporary textiles enrich modern lives.

Thanks to modern technology, our daily life has become more efficient, and thus we should be left with more time to slow down and admire crafts that are lovingly made by hand.  As we wake up to the global crisis of throw-away plastics, hand-crafted home furnishing textiles remind us the joy of appreciating things that take time to make and indeed can last a long time.

At 100% Design trade fair in London, held in September at Olympia in Kensington, I met woven textile designer Pamela Print who had her weaving loom set up in her stand so she could demonstrate her craft.  She is the genius behind her wonderful hand-woven furnishing textile collection that included wall hangings, throws and cushions that she produces for her own brand.  

As a designer and weaver who is passionate about sustainability, Pamela Print is keen to demonstrate her eco credentials, as all her products are totally sustainable as her products are all in 100% wool.  

For example, the cushions front is made in merino lambswool and the back fabric  is in Harris Tweed while for the filling she uses eco-friendly British fleece (Dorset Horn.)

Pamela graduated from Central Saint Martins in London with a BA in Textile Design, and is an alumni of TexSelect (a London-based charity that nurtured and promoted UK textile graduates for some 50 years) through her career was launched 14 years ago after particpating at Premiere Vision trade fair in Paris.

Pamela worked for many years in textile and garment supply companies like Dewhirst and for top brands and retailers including Topshop and Marks & Spencer - before relocating to Brussels for seven years.  Recently she and family decided to move back to the UK.  

But Pamela has brought Brussels back with her through her geometric patterns that were inspired by architecture in Brussels with art deco influences.  But while on the loom, ideas are developed, she said.

With a studio set up outside London in the historical village of Writtle where her designs are developed and sampled, she has also got an agreement with Bristol Weaving Mill where small batches can be produced to order.

Also exhibiting at 100% Design was Lydia Forman, whose hand-woven upholstery fabric designs won her a place in the Design Fresh area of the trade fair held in September at Kensington Olympia in London.  

Lydia was one of 30 designers selected by curator Barbara Chandler, design editor of Homes & Property at the London Evening Standard, to showcase their breakthrough design talent. 

Lydia brings a vibrant modern aesthetic to complex traditional weaving skills, creating cushions, upholstery fabrics, hangings, and flatweave rugs in yarns that include cotton, silk and Lurex.   

She juxtaposes geometric structures with bright floral colours. Weights and textures are explored using different yarns and weaving techniques.

Inspiration ranges from the colours of Kew Gardens to the rigid repeating facades of contemporary architecture.  To showcase some of her colourful textile products was a vintage Ercol sofa and chair  at 100% Design which were covered in her fabrics.        

A graduate of Loughborough University this year with a BA degree in Textiles: Innovation and Design, specialising in Woven Textiles, Lydia Forman was also awarded First Prize in the 2019 Loughborough University Enterprise Award.

All photos by Lucia Carpio.

London Design Festival presented more than half a million international exhibitors from around the world

A seminar on Finnish design characteristics focused

on sustainability, wellbeing and healthy living environment

at the 100% Design fair in Olympia, Kensington. 

It has been a very busy month for everyone working, involved or interested in creative works and design as between September 14 and 22, a number of international trade fairs and exhibitions, along with a full programme of product launches, design collaborations, seminars, presentations, installations and workshops turned London into one big design hub as the capital played host to the 2019 edition of London Design Festival.  

Cubitt House was dedicated to exhibiting cutting-edge design, iconic furniture and lighting brands 

as a major part of designjunction in Kings Cross Design District.

Installations at Cubitt Park featured Bim Buton's creations using enamel reused as outdoor seating in 

From Inside to Out, and

in the background BioKnit by Stephanie Chaltiel of MuDD Architects and Jane Scott showcasing new textile architecture techniques integrating colour, materials and form into a knitted Pavilion.

Designers and creatives from the UK and around the world. including newcomers, artists, craftsmen and artisans, new product developers, well-known brands and established names got together for the  Festival to give the capital a great buzz.

Samsung presented an exposition of Indiosincratico by Italian designer Martino Gamper in Samsung's

experience-led concept store in Coal Drop Yard, Kings Cross Design District.

Giant Anglepoise Lamps in The Light Tunnel in Kings Cross featured inspirational quotes 

to engage with visitors.

In total, 10 official Design Districts across the city were earmarked as special regions where concentrations of design activity and events took place.  All the Districts have their own personalities ad identities, many with partner events and special Routes for visitors.

Bill Amberg Print - a range of bull hides printed with graphics by some of the world's renowned creatives was essentially a collection of leather decoration employing specialist digital printing technology.  The hides have been developed for upholstery and interior architectural use.

SolidWool presented chairs made with not fibreglass but with WOOL, a great recycling process.  The Hembury Collection showcased at Design Junction are made in an old woollen mill in Buckfastleigh, a small market town once a thriving part of the woollen industry.  The seat is made from a composite materials made from coarse wool which is a by-product from hill-farmed, upland sheep farming.

Designs by Tom Dixon in Kings Cross Design District.

Each Design District was organised locally and independently.

New to join this year was the Kings Cross Design District which was the main venue for the ninth Design Junction trade fair.

British designer Tom Dixon's Coal Office headquarters and adjourning showrooms/shops/restaurant in Kings Cross were turned into special zones for visitors to experience various senses, under the banner Touchy Smelly Feely Noisy Tasty.  Tom Dixon was also named as London Design Medal Winner.

Bill Amberg also showcased his leather hides Print collection to demonstrate specialist digital printing technology on leather.

Also held during London Design Festival were 100% Design at Kensington Olympia, Focus/19 at Chelsea Harbour and London Design Fair at the Old Truman Brewery.

100% Design trade fair celebrated its 25th anniversary in the historical Olympia in Kensington.

A Sense of Finland in 100% Design was a specially built eco log house presenting Finnish furniture, products and lighting focused around sustainability, wellbeing and healthy living environments.

Other designated Design Districts included Bankside, Brompton, Clerkenwell, Marylebone, Mayfair, Pimlico, Shoreditch, Victoria and West Kensington.

Also at Kings Cross, 10 finalists of the Rado Star Prize winners were on display in The Light Tunnel, along with product installations by Haberdashery and Anglepoise.  The Rado Star Prize winner this year was Huw Evans for his Concertina furniture using English Ash and Cherry wood.

There were also two giant wooden block 'figures' named Talk to Me by Steuart Padwick installed in Kings Cross Design District for visitors to "React" to, a major theme in this years Design Junction show.  One of which is shown in a picture below.

An installation "Talk to Me" by Steuart Padwick

Rado Star Prize winner this year was Huw Evans
for his Consertina collection.

Designer and woven textile designer Pamela Print showcased her weaving technique during 100% Design along with 

her new collection of sustainable hand-woven designs for home furnishing including throws and cushions all in British wool (Merino lambswool).  Cushion backing is made with Harris Tweed and the filling is eco-friendly British fleece - Dorset Horn.  

This was the 17th annual festival which also marked 11 years collaborating with the Victoria and Albert Museum which was also the official Festival Hub for  a series of specially-commissioned project by international designers.

Welsh artist Thomas Perceval was on hand to discuss his unique artistic craft with visitors at 100% Design.
Based on the border of Mid Wales and Herefordshire, Thomas captures the beauty of trees - especially in the winter and early spring when absent of leaves, trees reveal the complexity of their intricate branches formed by nature.
He combines drawing techniques with laser burning technology to create amazing images of trees.  Each laser etched tree artwork meticulously takes a few months to create.

Original hand-woven upholstery fabric designs by Lydia Forman,

one of 30 designers selected by Barbara Chandler, design editor of Homes & Property at the London Evening Standard, to showcase their breakthrough design talent. 

on show at the Design Fresh area at 100% Design.

Creative China was one of the country pavilions at 100% Design.  
The China Pavilion promoted 22 companies that showcased creative design with traditional cultural elements.

All photos by Lucia Carpio.