whole piece. 

The processes involved in the creation of my textile designs involve lots of drawing and “design planning” in different media. I usually begin with pencil sketches that are developed with digital media to achieve the best placement and color options. During the last few months of the project ‘Carmen’ I developed an engineered embroidery technique that relies heavily on CAD technology. It allows for extremely intricate pieces that can be produced speedily without loosing its one-of-a-kind aesthetic. Each piece is individually finished with hand craft techniques, including expert beading and goldwork.

"Carmen" is a personal project that draws on my South American craft heritage through looking at artefacts my grandma collects around her house. Her questionable taste in décor (consisting of cross-stitched tablecloths, small sculptures; amateur paintings depicting women, saints and angels) inspired the clever play on good-taste/bad-taste that gives this textile collection its naïf vibe.

Like most craft practitioners, I am obsessed by the idea that an item of clothing can require over a hundred hours to be made. The collection questions conventional perceptions that craft is limited to domesticity and amateurism by re-introducing the subject in a subversive language.