I am a First Class Honours Graduate in Textile Design, specialising in weaving.
My practice is fuelled by the endless creative freedom I can have with designing and making fabrics. From samples woven on tabletop looms, to CAD floor looms and jacquard looms, my portfolio has a diverse body of work, showing my ability to adapt and deliver unique collections of fabrics in response to briefs.
Colour and patterns are integral to my work. I am constantly drawing inspiration from a range of sources and finding innovative ways to translate my inspirations into textiles. My current work explores woven textiles as a means of cultural expression, drawing inspiration from my heritage and cultural lineage.
I have interned across various fashion and interiors companies and I would like to gain more experience in the luxury fashion design world.
Instagram: @leonie.textiles
Projects
- Commission PieceMy client requested a handmade fabric to be framed as an art piece. I was given creative freedom with the project and so opted to channel inspiration from my previous undergraduate work. The colour palette is bright and inviting, and was woven with a blend of cottons including West Indian Sea Island Cotton.
- Unravelling the Threads of Identity through Textiles: Jacquard CollectionDuring my final year of university, I undertook a self-initiated project as an extension of my dissertation topic surrounding the links between identity, culture, and textiles. I explored what Caribbean culture means to me by interpreting my St Kitts heritage into textiles. The jacquard collection is the final body of figurative textiles that draws inspiration from nature imagery. All samples in this collection were handwoven with hand-dyed West Indian Sea Island cotton.
- Unravelling the Threads of Identity through Textiles: Carnival CollectionDuring my final year of university, I undertook a self-initiated project as an extension of my dissertation topic surrounding the links between identity, culture, and textiles. I explored what Caribbean culture means to me by interpreting my St Kitts heritage into textiles. The carnival collection is inspired by the vibrant energy of carnival culture. I drew inspirations from Ghanaian textiles both to make cultural links between West Africa and the Caribbean and to experiment with block weavin
- Unravelling the Threads of Identity through Textiles: TweedsDuring my final year of university, I undertook a self-initiated project as an extension of my dissertation topic surrounding the links between identity, culture, and textiles. I explored what Caribbean culture means to me by interpreting my St Kitts heritage into textiles. The project is split into separate collections as I aimed to experiment with a range of materials and techniques. The collections are inspired by all things Caribbean from family archives to Caribbean nature and carnivals.
- Wallace & Sewell Live BriefThis live brief project was launched by the woven textile brand, Wallace & Sewell, which was to complete a collection of 4 final fabric designs; inspired by a painting with supporting experimental swatches and visualisations showing the designs in a fashion context. The fabrics had a strong focus on colour and composition, based on my chosen painting, Basquiat’s Untitled Skull.
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Work history
StylistDavid's Bridal
Birmingham, United KingdomPart Time
Responsible for delivering a high-end styling experience for the bride-to be, bridesmaids and others. Finding the perfect wedding dress can be a daunting experience, my job as a stylist is to ease the bride-to-be into finding her perfect look for her big day.
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BAME AmbassadorThe Union, Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester, United KingdomPart Time
As a BAME Ambassador for the Arts & Humanities faculty at Manchester Metropolitan University, I am responsible for representing students within the faculty from BAME backgrounds. The aim of the BAME Ambassador scheme is to reduce the awarding gap for students, ensuring all students are graded equally regardless of their background. We also aim to create inclusive spaces for students and to create safe spaces for our concerns to be expressed. I am also co-manager of our social media page which includes creating, posting and managing the content for our audience.
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Skills
- Project Management
- Social Media Management
- Design Development
- Weaving
- CAD Design
- Textile Design
- Textile Dyeing
- Print Design
Education
BA(Hons) Textiles in PracticeManchester Metropolitan University
Manchester, United Kingdom
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A LevelsKing Edward VI College Stourbridge
- Stourbridge, United Kingdom
Awards
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The Belly Button Design AwardBelly Button Design Studio
Awarded to work demonstrating a professional approach to illustrative design making. Acknowledging a bold use of colour and design technique.The M&S Design Team- Colour AwardMarks and Spencer
Awarded to a practitioner who tells a story through colour and employs innovative and exciting ways of introducing colour to create a range of outcomes.+ Show more