My Creative Journey: From FashionDesign to Textile Art
How a creative education grew into a practice shaped by up-cycling materials, experimentation and meaning.
My creative journey began with an interest in fashion design and applied arts that I studied. I have always been drawn to the way materials can be transformed: how colour, texture, shape and detail can turn an ordinary object into something personal and expressive.
My background in fashion design gave me a way to think about construction, surface, form and the relationship between materials and the person who uses or wears them. Over time, my interests have expanded into textiles, embroidery, mixed media and up-cycling. I enjoy combining techniques and seeing what happens when materials are allowed to work together in unexpected ways.
I am interested in the details that can be easy to overlook: a piece of fabric, a thread, a worn object, a pattern or a small embellishment. Sometimes the starting point is a clear idea. Other times, I begin by handling materials and letting experimentation lead me somewhere new.
Up-cycling is part of that curiosity. I like the possibility of giving materials another life rather than assuming they have reached the end of their usefulness. Reworking something can be practical, playful and meaningful at the same time. It also encourages us to look again at what we already have.
My practice is still evolving. I am not trying to fit every idea into one category or pretend that I have reached a final destination. I want room to explore, learn new techniques and develop a visual language that feels like my own. For me, creativity is not only about producing a finished object; it is also about the decisions, discoveries and problem-solving that happen along the way.
Working with textiles gives me opportunities to bring together structure and spontaneity. A piece can be planned, but the material may suggest another direction. A small detail can change the whole feeling of a work. I enjoy that balance between intention and surprise.
I also want my creative work to feel approachable. Not every creative experience needs to be expensive,complicated or focused on perfection. A simple material and a little time can be enough to begin.
The process matters, and there is value in making something that is meaningful to you, even if it does not look like anyone else's idea of a finished piece.
In future posts, I will share more of the techniques, materials and experiments that interest me, as well as the experiences that have shaped my path. My practice is a work in progress, and I see that as an invitation to keep discovering.
I also want my creative work to feel approachable. Not every creative experience needs to be expensive,
complicated or focused on perfection. A simple material and a little time can be enough to begin. The
process matters, and there is value in making something that is meaningful to you, even if it does not
look like anyone else's idea of a finished piece.
In future posts, I will share more of the techniques, materials and experiments that interest me, as well
as the experiences that have shaped my path. My practice is a work in progress, and I see that as an invitation to keep discovering.
Princess Kawaii: Giving Forgotten Treasures a Second Life
Born in France, Princess Kawaii was one of my creative project centered on sustainability, imagination, and playfulness. Built around the art of upcycling, the collection breathed new life into forgotten objects and gave damaged pieces a second chance to shine.
Reimagined Jewelry & Decor: Broken jewelry and discarded decorative objects,items that others might have thrown away were carefully collected, repaired, and reassembled into charming, one-of-a-kind accessories and whimsy coloroful decorative objects.
Upcycled Apparel: Plain and pre-loved t-shirts were transformed into vibrant canvas pieces using stencil fabric painting, custom beaded accents, and hand-crafted details.
Every piece in the Princess Kawaii collection combined a sweet, cute aesthetic with a conscious, eco-friendly approach to creation, proof that with a bit of creativity, beauty can be found in what was once overlooked.
Photos credit: L'illusgraphie by Aurelie Foin (2013).
For most of my life, I believed that textiles belonged strictly to the world of fashion. But everything changed when I discovered textile art as a true medium for fine art and I completely fell in love. That profound shift was again thanks to Art4Space and the incredible Julie Norburn (aka Jewels, who is truly a gem herself!).
Her encouragement gave me the confidence to explore this new path during the Women Archetypes program, where I created my piece "The Mystic Maiden Mother." Discovering that fabric and thread could tell such powerful stories as standalone artwork opened up an entirely new world of creative expression for me.
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