If you’ve collected some new Grey St. Glasses lately, you might have spotted a new addition in your case: our beautiful new Limited Edition lens cloths!
But did you know these new cloths were designed by our very own Clover?
Not only is Clover a natural when it comes to all things eyewear, she is also a talented textile designer. Clover has been a part of our team for just over a year now, so what better way to celebrate than by giving you all taking a little piece of her work to take home along with your Grey St. specs!
We’re absolutely obsessed the design. Clover has perfectly captured the spirit of GSO and we’re excited to share it with our loyal followers.
Read on to hear more from Clover herself
Tell us about your background in textile design…
C: I studied fashion & print design at uni, and really developed a deep love for the printing element – I love the idea of art you can wear or otherwise make a part of your day-to-day life in a practical way.
What is your favourite piece you’ve designed?
C: The look my mum modelled for my graduate collection. The top consisted of purely hand-sewn, hand-dyed vintage handkerchiefs, and the skirt was a 3 metre fabric mural gathered over a bustle depicting paintings of my grandparents. It was a blend of everything that makes me me, and got my mum posted in a British Vogue article – she deserves to be in many more!
Tell us about your design inspiration…
C: I’ve been collecting vintage children’s picture books for a while now – all of my work has a very illustrative quality to it and I find often older books have much more fine drawing detail in them.
Who in the design world do you look up to?
C: Althea McNish is a huge inspiration to me. She came to the UK from Trinidad like my granddad did, and shaped British textile design over the course of decades while unabashedly embracing her heritage.
What is your favourite type of textile for designing?
C: Screenprinting! It’s such a tactile experience with so much history, and allows you endless experimentation out of even just one drawing.
Tell us about the design for GSO cloths…
C: I wanted to create something unique to us & our store. One of the first things you see as you approach are the glasses on display, which is where the grid on the big cloth came from. All the little spots of colour are a tribute to our lovely team, from each of our own business card colours. Add in a little Mondrian and Bridget Riley influence and you get the cloths! I drew or painted most elements by hand, then compassed them together digitally – not only for richness, but also to help disguise any dirt buildup from using the cloths amongst all the textures.
Are you working on anything else currently?
C: Generally i’m trying to expand my practice more into 3d textiles – I’m currently getting into quilting! I adore Faith Ringgold’s story quilts, and the expressive abstraction that more traditional folk art holds like the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers. I want to make art you can snuggle up in, what could be lovelier than that?
Where can we see more of your work?
For anyone who wants to see more of my work, I did an interview with 1Granary a while back detailing some of my practice
Clover’s Limited Edition lens cloths are in store now.
