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show

Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen’s Old Bond Street Show Space

February 6, 2020 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery

London is very lucky to be able to offer a wealth of great free exhibitions and museums on many subjects. This open to all attitude really helps to keep feeding the minds of our designers and innovaters that one can go out and have your eyes opened to all sorts of  information. One such jem that might be a little lesser known is the top floor of the flagship Alexander McQueen store on Old Bond Street.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery

They have started to use the stop floor as more of an exhibition type space, sharing insights from the vast archives that the house of McQueen holds. At the moment, the space is dedicated to roses, curated by the Creative Director Sarah Burton.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery

What we found really special about this space, as an embroiderer in particular is that you can get right up close to the pieces to see the details often lost in show and large scale exhibitions. Something that we found even with very well done exhibitions like Savage Beauty. In addition to this they are sharing a lot of the background research and technical craftsmanship that goes into making a collection and show with this kind of dramatic results. There are development moodboards, fitting notes, embroidery placements onto pattern pieces and draping directed onto the model. There is also a viewing booth with footage from the shows to fully round out the experience and see it in the final context for which it was intended to be consumed.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery

If you find yourself in the area, it’s definately worth a trip it to see some beautiful things and get some of the background scoop on how these things all come together. The notes and quotes from behind the scenes really give you a sense of being emersed into their world. We are already looking forward

Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney visits McQueen's Old Bond Street Show Space London Hand Embroidery

Filed Under: Embroidery, Fashion, London, Tailoring Tagged With: Alexander Mcqueen, atelier, couture, design, embroidery, exhibition, fashion, Lee McQueen, London, mcqueen, Old bond street, show, textiles, texture

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up – Exhibition Visit

September 5, 2018 by Natasha Searls-Punter Leave a Comment

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Frida Kahlo in blue satin blouse, 1939, © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives

The exhibition Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up is currently at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and we recently took the chance to visit. This unique show gives a detailed overview of Kahlo’s life: her family and heritage; her politics; her relationship with mural painter Diego Rivera; the near-fatal accident that caused her a lifetime of pain; and most importantly, how she constructed her image and the way in which she lived her life.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Kahlo’s home in Mexico, La Casa Azul (The Blue House).

Upon Kahlo’s death in 1954, her husband Rivera locked up her most valuable possessions in the bathroom of the Casa Azul (The Blue House, their home in Mexico) and instructed that it not be opened until 15 years after her death. In 2004 this bathroom was opened, and the contents of the room went on display at the Casa Azul as a museum dedicated to her life. These objects are what now fill the exhibition space at the V&A, carefully shipped thousands of miles to be shown outside of Mexico for the first time.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Frida Kahlo and Family, 1926, photograph by Guillermo Kahlo.
Kahlo challenges gender stereotypes by wearing a suit.

The exhibition begins with old photographs of Kahlo and her family, some of which are adorned with Kahlo’s handwritten notes. Some simply label family members, whereas others are more personal: for example, on the back of Kahlo’s Communion photo she has scrawled “¡IDIOTA!” as she renounced Catholicism later in life.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Pre-columbian jade beads, possibly assembled by Frida Kahlo. Museo Frida Kahlo.

The show continues through a series of rooms to Kahlo’s accessories: heavy jade necklaces; crescent earrings featuring paired birds, which are traditional of Mexican jewellery; and hand-woven ‘Rebozo’ shawls and ‘Morrale’ sack bags. These items highlight Kahlo’s pride in her Mexican heritage.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Revlon nail varnishes, compact and lipstick in Kahlo’s favourite shade, ‘Everything’s Rosy’.

We then move on to Kahlo’s possessions, perhaps one of the most personal parts of the exhibition. Intimate items are on display such as used lipsticks and empty medicine bottles accompanied by letters to and from her various doctors.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Plaster corset, painted and decorated by Frida Kahlo. Museo Frida Kahlo.

Kahlo’s suffering due to childhood polio and a car accident at the age of 18 lies at the foundation of some of these objects. For most of her life she wore uncomfortable corsets to help support her back and alleviate pain, some of which were made of plaster and decorated with painting as Kahlo used them like a canvas.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Left: Cotton Huipil with chain stitch embroidery, cotton skirt with printed floral motifs.
Right: Guatemalan cotton coat worn with Mazatec Huipil and plain floor-length skirt.

Finally, the main feature of the exhibition is a stunning display case of Kahlo’s clothing. Kahlo is renowned for her combinations of indigenous garments from different regions of Mexico, and she was photographed in such outfits many times. To see them up close in real life is breathtaking.

Detailed embroidery is present in most of the outfits, from complexly shaded flowers and birds to cross stitch to traditional Chinese embroidery (due to Kahlo’s fascination with Chinatown when she moved to the USA with Rivera). The exhibition gives details of her most striking outfits, describing how she was followed by children when in the USA, who asked “Where is the circus?”.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Self Portrait with Monkeys, 1943. Oil on Canvas, 81.5 x 63cm.

There are some of Kahlo’s paintings – mainly self portraits as she used herself as a subject when painting from her bed – but the exhibition mainly focuses on Kahlo’s items and how she presented the complex layers of her identity within her life. It states that her wardrobe was not staged: she dressed up even when she wasn’t expecting visitors, and even when she was in bed rest.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up - Exhibition Visit London Hand Embroidery
Frida Kahlo on the Bench, 1939. © Nickolas Murray Photo Archives.

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up is a bewitching and intimate exhibition. The items on display are fascinating, and through them the personal details of how Kahlo naturally lived an artistic life – despite her misfortunes and pain – are revealed. A must-see for anyone interested in textiles, and anyone interested in Frida Kahlo’s complex and inspiring life.

Purchase tickets at the V&A website here.

Written by Laura Hill

Filed Under: Art, Embroidery, Embroidery, Fashion, London Tagged With: artist, clothing, embroidery, exhibition, fashion, floral, flowers, frida, frida kahlo, herself, inspiration, jewellery, kahlo, London, make up, making, making herself up, Museum, painting, photography, review, show, textiles, things to do, up, V&A, victoria and albert, visit, weaving, woven

Hawthorne & Heaney for Kent and Curwen A/W 2017

March 3, 2017 by Hasina Akther

It’s exciting to announce that Hawthorne & Heaney have worked with Kent and Curwen to produce beautiful embroidered badges for their new collection.

Hawthorne & Heaney for Kent and Curwen A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney for Kent and Curwen A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

Kent & Curwen, was first established in 1926, ‘two years after Eric Kent and Dorothy Curwen first crossed paths on Savile Row’. The company was described as a sports related gentlemen’s fashion brand that first began as a manufacturer of military, club, and college repp ties. In 1972, K&C had a defining moment when they produced kits for both England and Australia in the Ashes. The relationship with The England team lasted for well over ’20 years, supplying knits and caps well into the Nineties’.

Hawthorne & Heaney for Kent and Curwen A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

As of recent, David Beckham has joined Kent and Curwen in a partnership, acting as a brand ambassador and to us he is the perfect fit – ‘a true gentleman, celebrated for his fashion style and the British sports hero of his generation’.

View this post on Instagram

View the campaign now on kentandcurwen.com. . Video: @willyvanderperre / Stylist: @alistermackie. . @Daniel.Kearns #KentAndCurwen #Menswear

A post shared by Kent & Curwen (@kentandcurwen) on Dec 7, 2016 at 1:29am PST

View this post on Instagram

#Regram from @DavidBeckham: Final preparations underway for Sunday’s presentation of the AW17 collection . @Daniel.Kearns #KentAndCurwen #Menswear #LFWM

A post shared by Kent & Curwen (@kentandcurwen) on Jan 6, 2017 at 11:54am PST

Working with creative director Daniel Kearns, they have both created a collection ‘of everything a man would want to wear right now’. From ‘sun-faded rugby shirts, classic outerwear to English heritage knits.’ Most of these products bears a badge that reflects the heritage of Kent & Curwen – the Three Lions and the English Rose. These embroidered badges are both long held symbols of the brand and we at Hawthorne & Heaney are delighted at the way they turned out!

Hawthorne & Heaney for Kent and Curwen A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

Kent & Curwen launched this collection as part of London Fashion Week Mens and in an interview with WWD, Kearns expressed that this collection aims to appeal to a new British generation. The collection is now on selling on the Kent & Curwen’s website and Mr Porter so check it out to get your hands on it.

Kent and Curwen are seriously embarking on a new chapter in their rich history and we are so excited to be part of that.

Find out a bit more about the K&C here:

References:

WGSN – https://www.wgsn.com/blogs/david-beckham-to-help-design-kent-curwens-autumnwinter-2016-collection/#

Kent and Curwen official website – https://www.kentandcurwen.com/heritage/

GQ – http://www.gq.com/story/david-beckhams-kent-curwen-new-menswear-line

By Hasina

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Embroidery, Fashion Tagged With: Adam Phillips, autumn winter 2017, aw17, bespoke, brand ambassador, british, custom, Daniel Kearns, david beckham, dorothy curwen, embellishment, embroidery, english rose, eric kent, fashion, heritage, kent and curwen, London Fashion Week, menswear, show, stitching, Tailoring, the three lions

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017

February 22, 2017 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

On Friday night, Hawthorne & Heaney were a few of the audience members to watch the the fashion show of Joshua Kane’s A/W 2017 collection. Held at the London Palladium, it was a grand affair with 2250 people eagerly watching as Kane wanted to be able to share the experience with his fans as well as the high fashion crowd. Therefore, tickets were available for anyone to buy, attend and enjoy.

Entitled, ‘Journey’ the brand did not disappoint with an amazing set of intricate lattice work depicting a early 20th century tube station, newly built and creating a social microcosm of it’s own as the classes mingle. On this we were introduced to the narative with a couple of models interacting briefly before the main body of the show got started.

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand EmbroideryHawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

The shows itself was crisp, sharp and well polished as is only fitting for a Joshua Kane collection. Not only was this show unusual to be shared with the wider audience in this way, but was also Kane’s first show that was an equal split of mens and womenswear. The line up finished with the three looks which Hawthorne & Heaney produced embroidered pieces for, in the form of a horse head, with chess board, military and heraldic influences.

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

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Gold work embroidery horses… the horse represents the #joshuakanejourney we are on. Featured on my AW17 Runway production at the London Palladium. Special thanks to @hawthorneheaney

A post shared by Joshua Kane (@joshuakanebespoke) on Feb 20, 2017 at 12:09pm PST

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney for Joshua Kane A/W 2017 London Hand Embroidery

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Great to see some of our embroidery on the runway this evening @hawthorneheaney #joshuakanejourney #embroidery #lfw

A post shared by Tasha Searls-Punter (@tashasearlspunter) on Feb 17, 2017 at 1:39pm PST

The show finished with a moving performance by the two models/dancers that we were introduced to at the start.

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A beautiful presentation of tailoring from last nights fashion show #joshuakanejourney #ballet #suits

A post shared by Tasha Searls-Punter (@tashasearlspunter) on Feb 18, 2017 at 4:20am PST

As always it was lovely to be involved in an exciting project like this, particulally with such as beautiful outcome and was wonderful to see them on their debut in person. If you would like to seemore of the collection follow the link here. We are looking forward to what they produce for next season already!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Embroidery, Fashion, Film, TV & Theatre, London, Tailoring Tagged With: autumn winter 2017, aw17, bespoke, custom, embellishment, embroidery, equine, fashion, gold, Hawthorne & Heaney, horse, joshua Kane, machine embroidery, menswear, palladium, show, stitching, Tailoring, womenswear

Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17

August 4, 2016 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand EmbroideryOur regular readers will be familiar with the long standing creative relationship that Hawthorne & Heaney have with Joshua Kane and his SS17 collection was no exception. This season we produced a series of tie pin/brooch roses which embellished a large proportion of the collection.

Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand Embroidery The show itself was sharp but beautiful as is Kane’s house style with a sumptuous 3D fabric rose on the lapels. Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand Embroidery

The roses are available in Black Satin, Teal Velvet, Crushed Purple Velvet and Printed Black and White Silk. Below is a little taste of the looks from the runway. Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand EmbroideryThe roses are created by wrapping and twisting the fabric to manipulate it into the plush shape of a rose. Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand Embroidery

They fasten onto the lapel with a silver stiletto tie pin back .Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand Embroidery

They lend themselves well to both embellishing a dinner jacket or adding a sartorial touch to a more casual suit jacket. Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand Embroidery

Along with being worn on clothing, Kane has also shared the roses styled with some of his other accessories: Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand Embroidery

And here is the man himself sporting his own Crushed Purple Velvet Rose. Hawthorne & Heaney on Joshua Kane SS17 London Hand EmbroideryWe can not wait to see what they produce next season!

Filed Under: Embroidery, Fashion, London, London Embroidery Tagged With: 3D, accessories, bespoke, brooch, embroidery, fabric manipulation, fashion, flower, Hawthorne & Heaney, joshua Kane, lapel embellishment, LFW, lmc, London, London Fashion Week, mens, roses, runway, show, ss17, suits, Tailoring, tie pin

Hawthorne & Heaney for Andrew Totah

June 30, 2016 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Hawthorne & Heaney for Andrew Totah London Hand EmbroideryThis year we were lucky enough to work with a very promising CSM MA student called Andrew Totah. We produced a series of embroideries for him which feature in his final collection which are so vibrant and exciting, we couldn’t wait to share them with you.Hawthorne & Heaney for Andrew Totah London Hand Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney for Andrew Totah London Hand Embroidery

Andrew Totah’s collection is based on his travels through South Africa and features a wonderfully vibrant colour palette which reflects the culture. Andrew’s collection is very much about telling a story through his designs so his girls are superheroes of a kind who modify their clothes and empower themselves by take back control of their city in the night. Hawthorne & Heaney for Andrew Totah London Hand Embroidery

Hawthorne & Heaney for Andrew Totah London Hand Embroidery

We produced a series of heavily machine embroidered patches to compliment his collection, all of which were his own graphic designs. Most of the embroideries are raised from the surface of the fabric, that combined with the punchiness of the colours makes a strong impression.Hawthorne & Heaney for Andrew Totah London Hand Embroidery Hawthorne & Heaney for Andrew Totah London Hand Embroidery

To see more about the collection and the inspiration behind the designs, as well as the embroidery on the garments shown in the show at the end then have a watch of the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3bs5Yu_1gI

Filed Under: Embroidery, Fashion, London Tagged With: 2016, andrew totah, badges, central saint martins, CSM, denim, design, embroidery, exhibition, fashion, fashion design, fashion designer, graduate, inspiration, London, MA, machine embroidery, Masters Degree, process, raised satin stitch, raising, show, university, video, womenswear

Hawthorne & Heaney on LCF BA16 Exhibition

June 23, 2016 by Natasha Searls-Punter

 

Hawthorne & Heaney on LCF BA16 Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryLondon College of Fashion have opened their doors once again for their annual BA exhibition. We went to check out it out on the final viewing day to have a little insight into the next generation of designers and leaders the fashion world will encounter.

Hawthorne & Heaney on LCF BA16 Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryGallery 1, LCFBA16

Exhibited was work from 3 of the schools in LCF with a wide range of pieces like illustration, performance, photography, marketing and design.

Hawthorne & Heaney on LCF BA16 Exhibition London Hand EmbroideryFashion Illustration student Christy McCormick – sustainable nightwear collection with prints inspired by the Amazon rainforest.

 

It was clear to see the students had taken great care into the presentation with perfect lighting to show off the assets of their work. The simplicity of the gallery spaces definitely allowed the viewers to interpret their own opinion on all pieces displayed.

Hawthorne & Heaney on LCF BA16 Exhibition London Hand Embroidery

Sarahecmilla Camille – BA Costume and Performance

Pictured is a piece designed by Costume and Performance student Sarahecmilla Camille Bloch. Her final major project is based on a passage from ‘The Maracot Deep’ written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Hawthorne & Heaney on LCF BA16 Exhibition London Hand Embroidery

Sarahecmilla Camille – BA (hons)  Costume and Performance

 

A subtle sea life theme is seen mainly by the use of both materials and colour choice. The metallic tones together with the fluid coral shapes help to portray this. See more fo Sarahecamilla’s work by visiting her website http://www.sarahecmilla-cb.com

Hawthorne & Heaney on LCF BA16 Exhibition London Hand Embroidery

Daniel James – BA (hons) Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories: Product Design and Innovation

In the centre of the gallery various accessories including footwear were presented on simple wooden boxes. The work of Fashion Bags and accessories student, Daniel James was hung in such a way to catch the viewer’s eye. The collection was inspired by the dark characters in fairy tales and contained Avant Garde leather body pieces all moulded to the body and hand stitched. By presenting the pieces off the body really created curiosity to the viewer as to how the accessory should be worn. Visualizations of this collection can be seen here http://www.danieljamesfashion.co.uk    

Hawthorne & Heaney on LCF BA16 Exhibition London Hand Embroidery

Technology Gallery – LCFBA16

 

Although a wide range of talented work was portrayed, only a minimum amount of each collection was displayed. To find out more infomation on all the students featured in LCFBA16 exhibition can be found on http://showtime.arts.ac.uk

By Philippa Martin

 

Filed Under: Fashion, London Tagged With: exhibition, graduate, lcf, lcfba16, London, london college of fashion, show

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