Introducing this year’s sensational Textile Society’s student bursary winners

This year’s overall winner was postgraduate Abigail Barnes who recently graduated from the Royal College of Art where she specialised in Mixed Media Textiles.  
Abigail explains: “My graduate collection focused on luxurious embroidery and

Abigail Barnes at the ATF London

embellishment design, where I looked at ways to exploit traditional techniques of hand embroidery, while using more contemporary processes.” 
The judges were impressed by the level of skill and craftsmanship demonstrated in the production of the work, and how this was deployed to creative effect.  Sumptuous materials - leathers, (stingray and ostrich), furs, pearls and silks were utilised to form highly decorative embellished and constructed cloths that have the potential for a wide variety of applications.

The judges reported: "The work of Abigail Barnes is sensory and exquisite.There is an elegant fusion between the digital and ‘hand’ processes with media and materials being sensitively and carefully selected.  Student’s work should show the potential of itself, rather than be at a point of closure, and it was for this reason that we were particularly impressed with Abigail’s application.”

Abigail used her bursary award to buy materials to put together a trim collection in

One of Abigail's designs

collaboration with her friend Elizabeth Ashdown, a Weave designer, also a recent graduate from the RCA, to exhibit at Première Vision, Paris, the fashion industry’s premier material sourcing event.
Abigail said: “The Textile Society’s award really helped me to fund Paris, which was a wonderful, if a little overwhelming experience.  I spoke to lots of inspiring and influential people in the industry and it was great to see how my work would translate in terms of production for a fashion house or atelier in London.' 

The two runner-ups were postgraduates Kita Katona and Alice Hebdon.  

Zita Katona at the ATF London

Kita Katona graduating this November with a Distinction in MA Fashion and Textiles design from Heriot-Watt, created a printed textile project 'Anthropocene', inspired by the human 'built' environment.  Her work takes on the sixties modernist architectural environment of 'brutalism' and the vernacular of Scotland, including pylons and the industrial landscape. 
Zita explained: "I wanted to try and make our industrial landscape attractive - translating into something you would want to bring into your home.  My project incorporates three collections - 'Grids' (industrial networks), 'Blocks' (town layouts) and 'Cracks' (industrial materials)."  

Crack by Zita Katona

The judges said: "Zita's enthusiasm, perfectly complemented her well-presented written work an communicated a topical and lively context." The judges admired her colour palette and use of laser cut wood blocks and digital print on coarse linen, as well as using her designs for a more delicate devoré.
Keen to carry on creating her own collections, Zita, delighted with her award said: “The Society’s award helped me with my research, to buy materials and create prototypes, which I can now use to show potential manufacturers, designers or architects.”

While recently completing her Masters in fashion and Textiles from the Glasgow School of Art, Alice Hebdon works in costume design, both dyeing fabrics and creating costumes for film, TV and theatre.

Alice Hebdon at the ATF London

Through access to the Glasgow School of Art archives, Alice researched the origins of the artist’s smock in the paintings of the Scottish artist Joan Eardley and her original working garment. Alice is intrigued by the qualities of its wear and tear, the accidental splatters of paint, and staining.
Alice said: “I love the depth of colour Joan used – her dark tones and the zingy bursts of light coming through, these inspired the colours I selected for my collection.”

Continuing with the traditions of linen in smocks, Alice has developed her print using linens produced by Peter Greig and Company of Kirkcaldy, the last remaining linen weavers in Scotland. Her printed samples demonstrate an empathy with the qualities of cloth – continuing to soften and wet finish the linens before distressing them, breaking down their surface by brushing and sanding, and subsequently darning and mending – before imprinting these tactile qualities and reprinting them back onto the cloth. 

Alice's award winning design

The judges said: "We were impressed by Alice's development from research to ideas towards contemporary practice and textile design and her vision for the development of these traditional garments into a collection of printed compositions for new, extreme fashion shapes."

Alice has found the whole experience of the Textile Society’s award process enjoyable and enlightening. 
“Not only helpful in terms of buying fabric and being able to create my collection for the final degree show, I found attending the Textile Society’s Manchester Textile Fair pivotal in providing clarity, encouragement and advice at that point in my course.  The judges gave me some great advice and the confidence in my project that I needed. It was also while I was at this event that I was approached to exhibit one of my pieces in Gallery 8, Duke Street, London alongside legendary designers and artists such as Henry Moore and Zandra Rhodes.”  
In the future, Alice aims to develop working relationships with other Scottish textile manufacturers and cloth finishers.

The Textile Society – Lyn Broster – email bursaries@textilesociety.org.uk http://www.textilesociety.org.uk/bursaries-awards/student-bursary.php  

Abigail Barnes - Woven and Mixed Media design studio specialising in fine fabrics and Passementerie.  ashdownbarnes@gmail.com

Zita Katona – Graphic and Textile Designer – postbox@zitakatona.eu – www.zitakatone.eu

Alice Hebdon – Designer, costume maker and fabric dyer – alicehebdon@gmail.com