MARY

Our resident textile designer is from Hertfordshire via Cornwall, living in London currently working in New York! Hows that for a cultural mash-up!

THE BACKGROUND

Every Fabric has a journey

From the first thought when ideas are tested, abandoned, re-hashed, incubated and grown. To the making; where fibres are woven, knitted, spun, dyed and pressed.

For very little step decisions have to be made.  Why that colour? Why that pattern? Why that fibre? Who is it for and why will they use it? All these choices and decisions give every fabric a unique story.  

Some fabric stories are hidden so deep in the threads and the dyes they are lost to us.  Some stories are much closer than we think, they just a need a little time and care to be teased out.

This is the challenge we have set textile designer Mary J Lowe – to explore the hidden stories behind the most popular and important fabrics worn and used by Ugandans today. 

THE TASK

From Ugandan Bark Cloth the oldest and most ancient fabric in Uganda to the colourful bold prints of the Kittengi Cloth, Mary will learn to speak the language of cloth unlocking the secret stories behind the fabrics that inspire our designs.  Using this new found knowledge combined with her own skills and training we have asked Mary to create a range of exclusive prints for the AFRORETRO School of Uganglish.

THE RESULT

Come and join the AFRORETRO School of Uganglish on November 1st to see and experience the fabric journey of our exclusive AFRORETRO fabric prints. You will also get a chance to see our first catwalk show...and it promises to be an exciting one!