Meet the Maker: Nell Downes
One of the aims of the Fashion in Schools project is to combine the facts about fashion’s impact with practical hands-on experience, where time and circumstances allow. For this, Fashion in Schools has links with young makers and menders who will come in and demonstrate their unique crafts to the students. From embroidering small details onto favourite jumper to handprinting swatches, to darning and mending, to simply wearing a single item of clothing in a different way: students will be enlightened and empowered to activate their own creativity. One of our makers is freelance textile and knitwear designer NELL DOWNES, who is based in South London.
“It’s important to teach young people that everything in fashion has a story. Whether it’s the jeans you’re wearing or the project you’ve created, there is always a process. And, learning about that process enables students to see where their clothes really come from: their life cycle, where to buy them, how to treat them, how to mend them … but also how to live more consciously.
Nell’s intarsia vest one of my best friends ….
I finished my degree in Textiles - Knit at the University of Brighton last year. I’m fascinated with materials, bold graphics, colour and the versatility of fashion knitwear. Over the past year, I have worked closely with small brands and spent time creating my own small knitwear business and freelance portfolio. This, plus undergoing relentless graduate project-based job applications for large brands, has enabled and inspired me to educate myself more on the overall harsh realities of fashion today. It’s been both rewarding and eye opening.
That being said, I still love clothes, fashion and textiles to the very core. I love how any day I can express myself and lift my mood through clothing. I love the crossover of making something that is beautifully crafted and conceptual but also functional. We live in a world largely under the influence of trends, social media and the same superficiality.
Since attending art school, I’ve always been inerested in engaging with young people in relation to fashion and textiles. In particular, I am very passionate about diversity, inclusion and accessibility in fashion and art school. And now, more than ever, in the face of the climate emergency, I believe it’s important that young people are educated about the harsh realities of the fashion industry - from its unethical structures and exploitation of garment workers to its role as one of the biggest polluters on the planet. But it’s also important for young people to know that fashion, although in large parts unsustainable, offers such a wide breadth of opportunites, jobs and careers. We also need to remind them that fashion is an expression of self, stemming from personality, mood, heritage, current affairs and the world around us - not just social media. By giving them this knowledge, at an early age, we can trust them to live more responsibly.
The industry needs more diverse young creatives pushing it forwards to where it needs to be, to create inspiring work and to change the broken system.
Meet Nell on Instagram at @nellyknits:
