About

LEEK TEXTILE WEEK

A high-end fashion collection inspired by North Staffordshire’s industrial past.

The Reward of Labour is a high-end fashion collection, taking aesthetic inspiration from workwear from workers in North Staffordshire. Growing up in North Staffordshire, I have always been surrounded with derelict snippets of industrial past, from the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent, and the silk and dye industry in Leek. Both industries now a shadow of what they once were. These booming industries once employed vast amounts of the local population for generations to create delicate pottery and silks, whilst becoming masters of their craft. The impact of industrialisation brought significant changes- swapping hands for fast-paced machines meant items could be made for significantly cheaper and at a quicker pace. As a result, factories closed, and workers' jobs were lost along with the craftsmanship involved.

Workers were key to industry success but were made to work in terrible conditions to create for the upper-class. The oxymoronic combination of beautiful, intricate pieces, made by skilled craftsmen in an extremely dangerous, heavily industrial setting has been a key concept in this project. 

The collection explores different weights using ceramic, silks and workwear to tell the story of Staffordshire’s craftsmanship and the working conditions. The contrast between the heavy ceramics and the lightweight silks emphasises the oxymoron of creating beautiful things in industrial conditions. This interplay of materials highlights the complicated, intricate relationship between the region's industrial heritage and its craftsmanship. Workwear inspiration has been explored, including double stitching, vintage workwear jackets and buckles and straps inspired by aprons. Colours derived from homegrown dye plants, along with traditional dyestuffs used in Leek's dye factories, such as madder and indigo, have informed my colour palette.