Pages

Thursday 18 October 2012

Style Guile Smile - Beautiful digitally printed silk scarves by new brand Red Brick - there's definitely room in my wardobe for one of these beauties!


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!