The Dress

This dress represents a synthesis of surface design, material experimentation and meticulous hand craftsmanship. Conceived and constructed by Claire Edwards, the garment operates as both wearable artwork and narrative form, bringing together print, embroidery, leatherwork and symbolic ornamentation.

The base fabric is a devoré silk that has been hand dyed using Procion dyes, allowing colour to penetrate the cloth with depth and variation. The surface was then silk screen printed with a bespoke pattern and heat pressed to reveal the design, creating a layered interplay between opacity and transparency. The pattern itself draws directly from the intricate stone carvings of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Each motif was hand drawn before being translated for print, preserving the rhythm and geometry of the original architectural inspiration while allowing it to be reinterpreted through textile processes.

The dress was designed and handmade in its entirety, with structure and movement carefully considered in relation to the body. Metallic leather straps were laser cut using motif elements derived from the Alhambra-inspired pattern, extending the architectural language of the surface into the construction of the garment itself. This integration of digital cutting and hand processes reinforces the dialogue between tradition and contemporary making that underpins the work.

The train of the dress forms a dramatic focal point, featuring flame embroidery created using traditional goldwork techniques. Gold purls and sequins have been meticulously hand stitched to build a sense of movement, heat and transformation, evoking imagery of fire and renewal. The embroidery introduces a luminous counterpoint to the printed surface, shifting with light and motion as the garment is worn.

Together, these elements position the dress as an exploration of transformation through material and process. Architectural history, surface pattern, digital intervention and hand embroidery converge to create a piece that is both anchored in heritage and assertively contemporary. The work celebrates craftsmanship, endurance and the expressive potential of textiles when stitch, surface and structure are allowed to speak as one.

The phoenix embroidery forms the conceptual and symbolic heart of the dress. Emerging from the train as both image and metaphor, it anchors the garment’s narrative of transformation, resilience and renewal. The techniques explored within the standalone phoenix piece are extended and amplified across the dress, allowing goldwork, metallic surfaces and flame-like stitch to transition from singular motif into an integrated, wearable form. In this way, the phoenix operates not as decoration, but as a unifying force, binding surface, structure and symbolism into a cohesive body of work.

Photography by Claire Edwards, Jutta Klee & Catherine Dineley