Meet RubyKite Arts & Scarves

Meet 'RubyKite Arts & Scarves'

I originally studied Graphic Design at Kingston Art College, graduating with a BA – all of which seems like a million years ago! I spent the next 30 years running my own design agency in London, creating and designing for brands worldwide, before revisiting the printmaking I so loved at art college, which led me to create RubyKite Arts & Scarves with Joy. Joy and I have known each other for many years, as our children have grown up together. Our career paths crossed a couple of years ago, when Joy visited one of my exhibitions. Joy has a long career working in fashion and textiles and suggested making some of my more contemporary paintings and printmaking into scarves – it really was a turning point in both our lives. When she shared the first silk prints, I was beyond excited! They really were beautiful. And so RubyKite was created.

Our aim is to create treasured, timeless pieces that prioritise longevity over fast fashion; original art scarves that stand-out in a world of mass production. All our work has a strong emphasis on texture. I love exploring unusual printmaking techniques, with intricate textures that become hugely abstracted when scaled large over our scarves. Most of my original art uses plaster as a print medium, which creates a signature palette of chalky, natural tones which work well on silk and cashmere. Our ideas are inspired by nature and always start with drawings, with the landscape around my studio near The River Thames being an especially strong influence. The colours change through each season and are inspirational in so many ways.

We’re now just two years old which means we’re incredibly excited about the possibilities for RubyKIte. Making our products as sustainable as possible is really important to us. We’re already minimising waste; printing in small batches and replacing our gift boxes with silk pouches made from off-cuts of our “Tree” design, as well as printing with dyes that are AZO free. And we’ve just launched a range of pouches and cushions printed on peace silk, which means “non-violent silk breeding and harvesting”. It allows the completion of the metamorphosis of the silkworm to the butterfly. We are also proud members of Design Nation, championing forward-thinking contemporary design.

Creating our brand has taken a lot of hard work. It’s required real dedication, a heap of integrity and most importantly a huge helping of creative belief fuelled by an imagination filled with ‘what if’s”. And although there are ups and downs, the one big upside for us is our 25-year friendship and the close family bonds that have grown since our children were little. Funnily enough, those “little” girls are the absolute stars of our RubyKite show, modelling our scarves so beautifully. It makes photo-shoots so much fun – a real family affair, where we get together, try on all the art scarves and take some pictures!

We are over the moon to win the Modern Maker’s Award for Fashion. What a privilege. It’s made us even more excited about our upcoming shows and exhibitions and has given us the confidence to start creating new designs which we hope to launch in September. Thank you!

www.rubykite.co.uk
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