UK: Top British Designers Reveal Their Craft

Fabric of Fashion, a British council exhibition, begins its world tour at the Craft Council Gallery in London on November 9 2000.Fifteen British fashion and textile designers will show that textile innovation is one of the major forces driving fashion today. Fabric of Fashion shows key garments from recent collections and experimental pieces created specially for the show, all revealing the process behind the production.Curators Sarah Braddock and Marie O'Mahony, both textile specialists, show how many new fabrics have emerged through close collaboration between the textile and fashion designer. Contempory British fashion is demonstrating a powerful mix of handcraft and high technology to create a unique aesthetic. Fabric of Fashion looks at this relationship through the work of established and emerging fashion, textile, and accessory designers.Textiles are the focal point of the exhibition, celebrating small production runs and one-off pieces. For many of the designers, this is the area where they find the opportunity to create the most exciting and challenging work.Jessica Ogden has built her reputation on recycling and manipulating vintage fabrics, while Vexed Generation is making an impact with high performance materials such as ballistic nylon. Savithri Bartlett is collaborating with avant-grade fashion duo Boudicca to develop bodice garments from moulded, nonwoven textiles; and B.Earley is using fleece made from recycled plastic bottles, printed with images of found clothing.For more information, visit the Craft Council's website at