Oliver Smart has specialised in and performed puppetry (exploring movement through performance) for the last 20 years. He also teaches puppetry, design and performance to performing arts professionals. Oliver creates his artistic work under his own name and does commissioned work through his company, Folded Feather. His studio is on Bernard Road, N15, where he’s been based for the last three years. Oliver has worked … Continue reading Oliver Smart (Folded Feather)
Claire Maclean and Nicola Thomas, founders of Edge Upholstery, moved into their studio on Bernard Road, N15, in June 2018 and run a range of upholstery classes. What do you do and what are your roles? Claire: We’re both upholsterers. We met while we were working in a workshop and a school in Shoreditch. We decided to do more upholstery on our own, found a … Continue reading Edge Upholstery
Cheryl Devonish, the woman behind Fearless Steps, creates modern hand drawn greetings cards for people of colour with positive and diverse imagery and messages. Fearless Steps has been featured in The Voice newspaper, an Enfield newspaper, and trade magazine Greetings Today. In 2016, she was invited by Sonia Brown MBE to speak about her business at Digital Catapult in Kings Cross. She also sells bookmarks, … Continue reading Fearless Steps: hand drawn greetings cards for people of colour
DT caught up with Angela Constantinou about her bespoke soft furnishings company, Cocoon Home, back in 2016. Since then she has launched her bespoke interior textiles business, Cocoon Home Interiors. Tell us about the new fabrics business! I work with British artists to produce interior textiles (fabrics for curtains and upholstery). The artists get a royalty from every metre sold and they’ve had an advance … Continue reading Cocoon Home Interiors
Zara Afflick is the founder of Box of Prints. Tell us about Box of Prints! Box of Prints specialises in creating uniquely printed fabrics. We help people bring their stories to life through print design. Our motto is ‘prints with a purpose.’ We produce in-house prints for interior or fashionwear fabrics made from quality silks or cottons. We encourage others to get creative and design … Continue reading Box of Prints
Ceramic artist Ronaldo Wiltshire started Motions of Clay in 2016. He is currently a ceramic technician and tutor at Kensington & Chelsea College and Hampstead School Of Art. How long have you been working with ceramics? Both my parents are potters so I’ve been surrounded by clay since I was a young child. When I was growing up, my mother had her own pottery studio … Continue reading Motions of Clay
Franklin Boateng aka King Of Trainers regularly shares news and updates about trainers with his 130k Instagram followers. A social media consultant, Franklin has collaborated with brands including Footlocker, Stance Socks, New Balance, Puma, Nike and Adidas. He runs online jobs board Footwear Jobs and is responsible for awards show Drop of the Year where people vote on trainer releases from the past year. How … Continue reading Franklin Boateng aka King Of Trainers
Malene Oddershede Bach started her namesake fashion label in 2011 specialising in high-end womenswear clothing which is sold worldwide. Their main stockists are Fenwick department store and Nordstrom. Malene’s collection appears in showrooms during New York and Paris Fashion Week every year and have their first on-schedule fashion show during London Fashion Week this season. ‘Hopefully the show we’re doing in London is going to … Continue reading A chat with high-end womenswear designer Malene Oddershede Bach
Luis Lopez-Smith started Tottenham Textiles three and a half years ago. They are a small team: Luis, Holly and Megan (who Luis used to teach at Middlesex University) and Jamz their apprentice. They also regularly provide work experience and mentoring opportunities. Luis says they are a sportswear atelier at their heart. ‘We put the same level of work into our product as high-end makers. Our … Continue reading Tottenham Textiles: the sportswear atelier working with young people
Menswear designer Martine Rose is influenced by Tottenham and was based here for ten years. She has had fashion shows at Seven Sisters Market and Stronghold Climbing Centre. When did you first realise you were interested in fashion? I’ve always been really into clothes I would say more than fashion – what people wear, why they wear it, where they wear it – it’s fascinating. … Continue reading Martine Rose: the menswear designer from Tottenham making waves
