I
graduated from the University of Central England in Birmingham in 1989,
having gained the prestigious Royal Society Arts' Young Designer in to the
Industry Award. Having left university, I worked for a number of years as a
freelance knitwear designer, selling designs to top international designers
across the fashion capitals of the world.
I started designing scarves for friends and family and slowly, as other
people asked if they could have one, I decided to develop a hand made
limited edition collection, made using the finest cashmere yarn from
Scotland, the softest extra fine merino from Italy and beautiful hand
painted yarns from Wales.
I take inspiration from diverse sources such as animal surfaces or the rigid
structures of
man-made repeat forms to create my designs. Sometimes the yarn will play a
role in dictating how the final piece should evolve, other times the
finishing process pushes the design to a new, exciting and unpredictable
culmination of the design.
Made in
England
I design
all of my scarves here at the hall, taking inspiration from all sorts of
places and cultures. I tend to design by experimenting on my hand operated
knitting machines rather than by the more conventional way of drawing up the
design first. This allows me to create unique designs that are led by the
fabrics used.
I take great pride by the fact that my scarves are handmade in England. It
was important for me to have the kind of design control that this brings,
which you can't have if your designs are made for you in the Far East for
example. This means the costs are higher but the quality you get is worth it
in my view. I hope you feel the same !
I regularly exhibit with the Northamptonshire Guild of Designers and
Craftsmen and some of my designs are sold through galleries within the East
Midlands area. From time to time you can see my work at Barton Hall Studios
Open Days. For more information or any questions you may have about my
designs, you can email me or visit my website.
website:
www.clairenewberry.com
Click for Gallery
Contact Claire by:
website:
www.clairenewberry.co.uk
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