Rowena Luke-King

During this course, which combines fabric bag making techniques with soft sculpture, you will investigate surrealism in fashion whilst making a vintage style novelty bag. Looking at designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli, Elio Fiorucci and Lulu Guinness, all of whom have used humour and surrealism to add a show-stopping eccentricity to their collections, you will create a sketchbook of images to develop into hand-bag shapes. You will be introduced to soft sculpture techniques such as applique, quilting, needle sculpture and stump-work, producing in fabric decorative components such as flowers, fruit and chocolates - anything you wish to explore. You will make a pattern for your chosen design, test your pattern in card and calico before making it up, learn how to stiffen and line your bag, add pockets, zips and magnet fasteners. Whether choosing to make a flowerpot bag adorned with roses or a clutch bag in the shape of a French poodle, anyone wishing to take a light-hearted approach to accessory design will have lots of fun studying on this course.You will be asked to bring with you any interesting fabrics or embroidery threads that you may like to use.

You can read more about this course and view some images by clicking here.

Rowena Luke-King has had an extremely diverse career in design. She has worked as a designer and colour consultant for textile design studios and leading retailers such as Marks & Spencer and NEXT. She has produced collections of clothes, accessories, hand printed fabrics, greetings cards and wrapping papers for a number of stores including Fiorucci and has worked as a stylist in the music industry (stage clothes that she created for 'Adam and the Ants' have been exhibited in the Victoria & Albert Museum). Rowena studied fashion and textiles at Central Saint Martins and is currently involved in sourcing vintage fabrics for the fashion industry.