Meet the maker - Eleanor Khan

I am a former journalist and have lived and worked all over the world. Out of all the places I have lived in the one I really fell in love with was Pakistan, where I spent two years with my husband, who is British-Pakistani. 

The country has one of the richest artisanal histories in the world yet its many traditions are little known to the rest of the world. I was dying for an excuse to go back so last year I made a few buying trips and set up Nimuri, a company selling handmade clothing and homeware from Pakistan.

I sell baskets, ceramics, home and vintage textiles, wooden trays and women and children's clothing. I try to source as ethically as possible & many of my products are made by women's charities or come from small, family-run businesses or start-ups. Unlike in India, artisans have never received much government support or interest from Western designers so I really love the fact that I am starting to get money directly to them.

Favourite place for inspiration:

Of course it has to be Pakistan itself. Waves of immigration and invasion over the centuries means the country's handicrafts show great variety. From tribal embroidery, to kitsch truck art, to the floral images of the Mughal Empire that once ruled India, to the influence of British textiles, there is a huge range of looks, symbols and traditions to choose from in terms of inspiration for new products going forward.

My favourite product:

I'm very intrigued by the heavily embroidered quilts they make in Pakistan. They are very mysterious and made by itinerant tribes in the desert. It's been quite hard to find out much about them or the people that make them. Each one is like a work of art but they are so well made that they are actually quite practical and hard-wearing. They can be used on beds or sofas or turned into cushions. 

Eleanor Khan will be at Homeworks on Sunday 1st December

Maker’s Choice – Scobel Clothing

Scobel Clothing is a carefully considered capsule wardrobe of versatile utility inspired items of clothing for women. Founder and creative director Jackie Parsons will be bringing her collection to Homeworks on Sunday 9 December.

Jackie explains in her own words the design philosophy behind her fashion label:
“I only wear clothes I have made. Inspiration comes from solving problems of wearability; tweaking the ‘cut’ so that each item is constantly evolving:

Where ever possible I strive to minimise pressure on the environment by using fabrics sourced from stock excess to the trade.

All items are designed, cut and sewn my myself in my studio in south east London. My favourite item is the cross back apron as it cam be worn by all members of the family in a number of situations:

Inspiration also comes from costume dramas which I can watch endlessly and visiting vintage markets and museums.”

Spry Workwear

Daisy Bridgewater will be bringing her distinctive and stylish utility wear to Homeworks on Sunday 3 December. Here’s a bit about Spry Workwear, in her own words:

So, I am a writer and journalist turned workwear designer, based in beautiful and remote East Suffolk. I began thinking about practical, stylish clothing as a response to my environment, and as a response various plates that modern, working women like me keep spinning every day. As an active creative person, I need clothes that will take a beating but will not make me look like life has beaten any sense of style out of me. This is my studio in Suffolk:

Boiler suits are very much at the core of my brand, which I first launched, rather tentatively, last year at Homeworks. I have been thrilled with the response from like-minded, stylish women, working in all sorts of creative industries. Others have bought a boiler purely for its fashion credentials:

I sell navy blue twill boiler suits, denim boiler suits, navy blue and denim work shirts, sail cloth and linen aprons, work trousers and dresses (although the last 2 are in very limited supply):

My favourite product is the new washed denim boiler suit (the one I am wearing in the photo below):

It does everything that I want it to, looking super stylish and sexy, but never stopping me doing anything. I can wear it from the chicken run to the office party (although I might change my shoes). My navy blue boiler suit has been featured in Red Magazine and The Times.

Quinton Chadwick

Quinton Chadwick are knitwear designers Jess Quinton and Jane Chadwick and they have a passion for the  craftsmanship of this country’s knitting heritage.

Their vision is to blend these traditional skills with their own contemporary design aesthetic:

Jess and Jane prefer using natural fibres such as wool and cashmere and proudly make everything entirely in the UK:

“Favourite products are our rainbow coloured berets and scarves and our best selling LOVE gloves. We love the The fashion and Textile museum in Bermondsey, The Jeffrey Museum in Hackney – and of course the V&A who often sell our knits in their shop.”

Quinton Chadwick will be at Homeworks on Sunday 3 December.

Meet the Maker - Home-Grown

We are Helen Lancaster & Nicky Hessenberg. We started Home-Grown 10 years ago, but before that Helen had a small company making clothes for children and Nicky has a constructed textile course at the London College of Furniture. We used also to organize and run a small annual arts and crafts exhibition in our local area which had quite a local following.

Helen has family living in Mumbai and whenever she came back wearing something beautiful and sometimes exotic, friends and strangers would ask "where did you get it?". We decided to start a small company to supply this demand and Home-Grown was born.

We have a range of clothes made for us in Mumbai, designed by us based on traditional Indian designs. Each garment is then individually made by tailors, in good and safe working conditions, adapted for UK sizes and styles. We put the colours and prints together making a completely original and unique collection.

We do not have a shop and sell a few of our styles to a shop in East Dulwich - otherwise our clothes are available from us selling only through charity fairs and sales, by personal request by telephone, email or by visiting our stockroom. We are based in Bayswater, London.

Come and meet Helen & Nicky on 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Studio Rajka

My name is Rajka, my company name is Studio Rajka and I live, design, create and make my knitwear in my studio in Brentford, West London.
I studied chemistry at University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. I have never studied design, but I started to knit when I was a child and sold my knitwear at university to supplement my tiny student budget.

I have been creative all my professional life, and after many years in the fashion industry I started my knitwear company two years ago, turning my passion into my profession.
I’m inspired by everyday life and my aim is to create luxurious but affordable knitwear, both traditional and contemporary, using naturally sourced sustainable and renewable materials:

I use Scottish and Italian spun lambswool, cashmere and blended yarn.

My products are unique, I rarely made more than two same. I am always happy to do custom orders.

Studio Rajka will be at Homeworks on Sunday 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Spry Workwear

Today’s Meet the Maker is all about Spry Workwear, traditional clothing re-imagined for the modern woman. It’s a new venture from journalist Daisy Bridgewater, a long time supporter of Homeworks and small creative businesses.
We asked her a few questions about what inspired her to launch Spry Workwear:
When did you set up your company?

Spry Workwear is both a brand new venture and a response to the many years I have spent peering into other people’s lives as a journalist. I have worked as a freelance journalist for years, most recently as a columnist for the Telegraph Magazine (I used to have a weekly shopping page called Children’s Notebook). Before that I was the Telegraph’s Interiors Editor, and I continue to write about houses for glossy magazines. But whilst writing about other people’s creative endeavours is fascinating, I have long-harboured the dream to build my own business.

Spry Workwear is literally brand new - this will be my first selling experience and I am thrilled to be part of Homeworks.

What inspired you to start your company?
I am based in East Suffolk, quite near to the sea, and quite far from London.

The inspiration for Spry came whilst working as a freelance journalist. When home becomes workplace, it is easy to lose sight of the importance of putting yourself together for the day, even if it is just for yourself. How many of us have spent the day in baggy leggings and a favourite jumper - but what if a friend shows up, or you suddenly have to rush out to meet an editor/teacher/colleague? Fleeces do nothing for the self esteem!
This led me to think about all of the multi-functional, thoughtfully designed, practical but innately stylish clothes that were not in my wardrobe. And from this void, Spry Workwear was born.

At Homeworks, I will be selling my boiler suit, a re-working of a vintage mechanic's overall made in East Anglia from traditional navy blue sail cloth. I have 5 other pieces in the collection, all of which are in the sampling stage, but I should have my aprons with cross-over straps, deep pockets and a gentle, A-line cut, again made from traditional sailcloth fabrics.

I will have samples of the whole collection, ready to pre-order.

Come and meet Spry Workwear at Homeworks on Sunday 4 December, 10-2pm