Sometimes I come across something which makes me sit up and take notice. When I followed the link in an email sent to me by Karen (a graduate of the Royal College of Art) of Red Brick I was totally bowled over. The vibrant colours and designs of her scarves are amazing, as is her jewellery.
I thought that it would be nice to share not only Karen’s designs with you but also more about Karen herself and her design ideas and inspiration, so over to you Karen….
“I did my first degree in jewellery at Edinburgh College of
Art, and then went to the Royal College of Art in London and studied a Masters
in Jewellery Design. During my time there, I worked on jewellery designs for
various fashion brands, ranging from River Island to Margaret Howell. I also
worked as a design assistant to the accessories designer and prop stylist, Fred
Butler.
[Robbery in a sweet shop]
I decided to launch my own line on the premise that great
design should be accessible to everyone. I used to get really frustrated that I
couldn’t afford the unusual and individual designer pieces that I really loved,
but there didn’t seem to be an alternative apart from high street copies. I try
keep my prices as affordable as possible, whilst maintaining a high quality of
product. I think people are very careful about what they buy at the moment, and
I think my pieces cater to this.
[Running design – included for those of you taking part in the Birmingham half this weekend. Good luck! x]
I absolutely love the sense of humour in high fashion brands
like Moschino, Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs, but I try not to look too closely at
other designer’s work when generating ideas as I like to come up with something
completely different. Instead, I look at printmaking and graphic design, and I
love British artists like Peter Blake and David Hockney. I also love car boots
sales for picking up old scraps of fabric or old interiors magazines!
[Coney Island Funfair]
I use digital fabric printing on 100% pure silk to make my
scarves. I make each colour separation by hand to try and retain some of the
pencil marks and give the digital print a richer quality. I always give my
friends samples of the prototypes to try out and listen to their feedback on
their wearability, the colour choices, etc. It’s really important to me that
the pieces are comfortable and practical to wear.”
[Boat design]
[Navajo celebration]
I can see these bright scarves really adding something to a simple weekend outfit of jeans and a jumper, or to a dark winter coat. Personally I think they offer something slightly different that is quirky, individual and made by someone with incredible talent.
Just so that you know, I haven’t been paid to write this post – either in scarves or anything else!
I love these!! Where can I buy them??
They are absolutely beautiful and original. You can tell they've been 'crafted' with thought and an artistic flair rather than mass produced and copying a particular designer. I agree with what Karen says about people wanting to be able to find unusual and individual pieces. Recently I discovered Etsy which is home to some fabulous designers – some just starting out – all of them selling just small amounts of crafted goods from clothes and jewellery to home wares. I snapped up some gorgeous jewellery at a very reasonable price and love wearing it.Good luck to Karen. The scarves are really beautiful and won't date either.
These are very good prices for such beautiful scarves. How refreshing!Some of the colourways are too pale for me, however I do really like the Swimming Pool one :-)Wendy B – they're available online at: http://redbricknorth.bigcartel.com/
Hello! Thankyou all for the kind and thoughtful comments!Wendy – Yes, as Thea said, I have an online shop (http://redbricknorth.bigcartel.com/), and my website (www.redbricknorth.co.uk) also has a list of stockists. Glad you like them! Xmummyratesit.co.uk – Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. I'm really pleased you mentioned the scarves won't date, that was really important for me when I developed the collection. Etsy is just great, I've bought a few beautiful ceramic pieces on there recently. It's nice to be able to 'meet' the designers as well! XThea – Really pleased you like the price point, I try to think about what my friends and I would realistically pay for the pieces, rather than what other brands would charge. Swimmers is one of my favourites! X
Karen, I think it's lovely that you've taken the time to post here. Thanks very much, and good luck with selling lots and lots of beautiful scarves in the run-up to Christmas!
Thank you to you all for your comments and to Karen for responding to them. I too hope that you sell lots of beautiful scarves in the run up to Christmas – and beyond!
I've just purchased the greyhound scarf. I was betwixt the greyhound and the sailing one to be honest! Both gorgeous!! Very excited to get it. Thanks for the tip off !
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where do you get your scarves printed? i am looking to print my own designs but don't know where in london that does this
I would also like to know where you got the scarves printed, they are absolutely gorgeous, I'll be checking your shop for sure. I don't think i could ever create something as beautiful but I would love to know which company you are using, as in all my research the only company i have found that is suitable uses polyester silk and I would love to use 100% silk.