One to Watch - Madeline Gorman
Photographer: Denisa Ilie
Photography assistants: Angel Freeman, Lynda Jimenez Arnez, Rose Majett, Stella Humby, Sophie Charlesworth
Retouching: Hannah Gadd and Denisa Ilie
Creative Direction: Caroline George, Will Crisp
Where did you study and what is the course title?
Norwich University of the Arts, Textile Design BA (Hons)
Name of your lecturer/course tutor?
Kate Farley
A line about how it feels to have been picked by the judges
I am so excited to have been awarded the opportunity to share my love of colour and craft to a wider audience and showcase the beauty and potential of natural colours from plants and textile fibres.
Please tell us a little bit about the project that caught the judges’ attention.
I showcased two projects at New Designers, my final project ‘Trails’ and a collection of lace trims titled ‘Movement.’ Both of these projects used a mixture of homegrown plants and the natural colours of traceable sheep wool to create their colour palettes.
My final project ‘Trails’ is a collection of knitwear garments, accessories and samples using medieval visuals to communicate stories about movement, queerness, and environmental sustainability. Conceptually, this collection is inspired by medieval pilgrimages and the idea of a purposeful journey, both as the physical act of walking, and as a symbolic journey of coming into one’s identity. The materials in this collection have been influenced by the Middle Ages in both the raw material and sourcing of waste fibres. The colours in this collection are entirely derived from the land, coming from the natural colours of the sheep and the dyes madder, indigo and chamomile grown in my garden, alongside naturally dyed deadstock yarn from wood bark and weld. I have been growing these dye plants with my mum for the past six years in my childhood home in California, and I have enjoyed the challenge that comes with processing the plants and understanding how the colours change each year.
This lace collection ‘Movement’ is the result of processing a raw sheep fleece from a local East Anglian farmer. I dyed the fleece with home grown marigold, coreopsis and madder, then carded and spun it into one and two ply yarn. I then hand knit the yarn with patterns developed through altering various antique lace patterns. This project focused on movement in both dance and migration, inspired by my childhood dancing Ballet Folklorico and its role in developing my love of textiles. The movement of the skirts, the rhythm of the foot work and the braiding of the hairpieces were used as inspirations for the visuals of this collection. The material choices in this project were influenced by my move to the UK, and my desire to ground myself here, while still taking influence from home. The flower dyes were grown with my mum in California and the richness of colour achieved feels like the California sun. Coupled with the British fleece, this collection told a regenerative story of home through material and design.
How important is colour in your work and why?
My love of textiles is in a large part due to my interest in sourcing and finding use for natural materials and colour is essential in visually communicating this. I enjoy the slightly unpredictable nature that comes with using plant dyes and I have been experimenting with adding colour during different steps of textile processes. When processing a sheep fleece from raw to spun, I dyed the wool as locks, creating a melange yarn and allowing for more control of the colour during the carding stage where I can blend a variety of coloured locks together to create further depth. I find that colour draws people in, and can lead to longer conversations about environmental impact and history of specific pigments and dyeing processes.
I have used homegrown madder root consistently throughout my work and it has led to so many interesting paths of research from medieval dying practices to harvesting times. Often at the beginning of a project I will choose a dye plant due to its history or the story it can tell, and then figure out later how the colours can work together visually through proportion and tint. Sourcing most of my colour from my garden or foraging also creates a finite amount of yarn to work with, allowing me to be more conscious of material use and waste.
What is your dream career path for the next 3 years?
I care deeply about craft and ethical sourcing and I would love to work for a company that aligns with those values. I have worked for the past two years as an Assistant Technician in the textile workshops at my university, and I have loved the hands-on and collaborative elements of this role. I am interested in roles within sustainable CMF and knitwear design/ programing to further learn about sustainable material sourcing and design at a larger scale. In the next few years I am excited to throw myself into a range of projects and learn as much as I can about various industries.
I am eventually interested in a Masters in sustainable design, global development or supply chain management to work towards roles in consultancy for sustainable knitwear design and ethical material sourcing.
What is your favourite colour?
My favorite colour constantly changes but I am always drawn back to greens. I love the way the tones shift throughout the seasons and how despite being everywhere in nature, it can surprisingly be a challenge to create greens through plant dyes.
Contact details:
Instagram - @magda.textiles
Email - madgorm@gmail.com
