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A LIFE IN COLOUR: LAUREN SHANLEY

A LIFE IN COLOUR: LAUREN SHANLEY

July 20, 2023
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Today we look back at Lauren Shanley’s contribution to textiles and fashion. Sadly lost at 66, Lauren Shanley (13 September 1956 - 28 April 2023) was born in New Zealand, making her home in the UK in 1985, and became a pioneer of sustainable and ethical fashion.


Image: Lauren Shanley stitching, © Lauren Shanley. Image above: Lauren Shanley, Oxo Tower Studio, June 2012, © David Usill, windowontheworld.com.

A self taught artist, Shanley developed a niche in the fashion and textile industry through her work with vintage and recycled materials, creating vivid and colourful collages using appliqué, hand and machine embroidery, stitch and embellish into layers of colour and texture. Figures, shades and patterns collide and collaborate, creating unique fashion and interior textiles. Her creativity was unrestrained, roaming freely across disciplines.


Image: Wall pieces, Lauren Shanley. © Lauren Shanley.

The process was instinctive, using the fabric like paint, cutting and collaging each individual piece. A lover of travel, she collected textiles, figurative imagery, tribal art and folk art which provide an endless source of inspiration. Working on a commission basis from her studio in London, Shanley created fabric and garments such as wedding dresses, jackets, coats, cushions, handbags, curtains, quilts, vessels and wall pieces. 

Lauren Shanley was much loved in the textile world, with her vibrancy, ingenuity and resourcefulness with textiles, as can be appreciated in the top image by David Usill taken in her Oxo Tower Studio on 3 June 3 2012 celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Here we celebrate her contribution to textiles and remember her work fondly.


Image: Hand painted chair – with stitched and appliquéd 1950's fabric. © Lauren Shanley.

Lauren is survived by Jim and her sisters, Joanne and Julie, and brothers, Gary and Dale. Her family would like to acknowledge the exceptional care that Lauren received from the pulmonary hypertension team at the Royal Free Hospital in North London.

You can see more of Lauren Shanley's remarkable work on her website:
www.laurenshanley.co.uk
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2 comments

RIP Lauren, You were ahead of your time, such an inspiring recycler of textiles.

JenniferAugust 10, 2023

Not only the most inspirational textile artist I have ever met, but also the loveliest and kindest person, always welcoming, encouraging and generous. The joy, colour and freedom in her work opens up a world of possibilities for textiles and gives me courage to experiment. Thank, you, Lauren, you are sadly missed.

Sue ThomasAugust 10, 2023

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