Designer Linda Blissett of BLISS STUDIO TEXTILES

BELISAMA: Lakes, Rivers, Fire & Craft

a study in fabric

A new collection showcased during London and Paris Fashion Weeks. The collection takes its’ inspiration from Celtic mythology and the mood and style of the Edwardian avant garde. As a weaver, Linda is deeply stirred by the sensual textures of Margaret Macdonald and the assertive symmetry of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Her intention is to echo these powerful elements while creating something fresh and new. In doing so Linda draws on a palette of natural and bolder hues of crimsons, teals, emerald greens, Amethyst with pastel greens & blues and lilacs, gold and silver complimented with natural hues from the sea and rivers and pebbles and rocks, to weave these inspirations together.

Stylistically, her work is a blend of my own handwoven multi-textual fabric designs incorporating sheer silks, dense wools, antique lace, faux fur and feathers and accented with Swarovski crystals and gold & silver thread mixed with twisted wires , with woven in ribbons to create A-symmetrical abstract hemlines.

Linda is a London-based textile designer, specialising in niche items constructed from fabrics, which she designs and hand weaves herself. She studied at Middlesex & Portsmouth Universities, graduating with a BA honours in Constructed Textiles and H.N.D Textiles for Fashion. In August 2013, she founded Bliss Studio Textiles, which is currently based at Wimbledon Art Studios.

She endeavours to create unique handcrafted pieces of wearable art from scarves, wraps and bags. Each design, an individual work, intended to create a piece of composition that delivers a distinctive mood or texture into fabric. No two pieces will be identical, although themes flow from one piece to another. She has an affinity for colours and textures and likes experimenting with variety of different forms of media. Her work incorporates a multitude of media; from silks, luxury wool fibres, cashmere, mohair, metallic yarns, ribbons, vintage lace, velvets and satins with occasional hand embroidered beading (as inspiration dictates).Her influences are primarily drawn from the Art Nouveau era (particularly artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, Jessie M King, Margaret MacDonald), together with Celtic Mythology. Linda is also deeply influenced by the seasonal ebb and flow of the British Isles, from Autumnal woodlands, insect wings, and tree bark and the undulating patterns of seaweed left by the outgoing tide.