Selvedge Magazine: Issue 118 - Hand in Hand

In this issue, we focus on working hand-in-hand with others. For instance, the special relationship between teacher and student is explored in Nicola Miles’s article about her teacher and mentor, Lou Taylor. In this article, Taylor describes the pleasure of watching students encounter historic garments for the first time. In another story, we discover how Nike Davies-Okundaye balances the pleasure of solitary work and what she gains from sharing her skills by burning the midnight oil! 

Successful collaborations come in many forms and involve different levels of cooperation. Madrid-based Milliners Maleza joined forces with Claudy Jongstra in her LOADS project – the resulting hats were the outcome of discrete contributions from both designers. Similarly, when designer Odette Blum invited 27 artists to respond to a theme, she gave them a free hand – the project culminated in a book that celebrates their different visions. As Elizabeth King, Head of Costume Production at the Royal Opera House in London, explains, collaborations with more rigid external parameters require more skilled negotiations. Yet, when costume designer Sandy Powell realised a director’s vision, ultimate insight, intuition, and even greater communication were needed. (Polly Leonard-founder of Selvedge Magazine)

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