Bristol Cloth was established by the Bristol Textile Quarter to celebrate traditional, environmentally friendly, locally and ethically sourced and made fabric from the South West of England.
Their competition was designed with the aim of exploring how a more resilient textile with a classic, heritage inspired design might look. And poses the questions;
What does Bristol’s social fabric look like?
What kind of cloth does Bristol need?
How would you weave Bristol?
What woven designs were traditionally borne out of the South West?
Amongst Bristol Cloth's co-producers is Botanical Inks founder Babs Behan. Babs is an artist and designer who uses natural pigments & materials to make biologically nutritious designs as part of an eco-centric creative process. Babs also hosts a series of Selvedge workshops that are ideal for anyone interested in learning how to harness environmentally sustainable colour from the landscape through foraging, dye-making and surface application.
Each year Bristol Cloth's design brief is limited to a specific colour range – this changes annually and is dictated by the natural colours of fleece and dyes obtained from surrounding flora. Other regulations in terms of production and materials also apply. The winning Bristol Cloth design will encapsulate the beautiful, diverse city of Bristol, while also referencing traditional woven design. The winning design will be broadly and commercially appealing to local designer-makers, local brands and retailers as well as the general public with end use being for accessories, outerwear and/or interiors.
Selvedge workshops – Forage, create natural dues and print with UK-grown and made organic textiles
www.bristolcloth.co.uk
The Bristol Cloth competition has announced Wendy Kotenko as the designer whose woven cloth design has been produced at the newly established Bristol Weaving Mill, and I was runner up with my woven doublecloth design inspired by the large industrial chains on the harbour side.