St Jude’s collaborates with an eclectic range of artists to create and print unique fabrics.
Founded by Simon & Angie Lewin, the company works from two studios – one in Norfolk, England; the other in Morayshire, Scotland. We make occasional appearances at certain exhibitions and events. And we take on a small number of bespoke commissions and projects each year too.
The idea for the company was born in 2005, when a collector of Angie’s prints mentioned that her work might translate well onto printed fabric. We were intrigued by that idea, and spent some time looking into how textiles are produced. We have to say, we weren’t hugely impressed by the way many established fabric companies operate. The artists who imagined and crafted the designs appeared to have little or no control over important aspects of the process, such as choosing colourways. Few were given proper credit for their work, it seemed.
We felt there had to be a better way to design and make interesting fabrics, so we decided to set up St. Jude’s. We started with the rather unambitious aim of producing two of Angie’s designs and taking it from there. Since then St Jude’s has become a small but thriving business, and we’ve had the pleasure of working with a number of artists, makers and printers we admire.
Our personal sensibilities and interests are often the starting point for a piece, but the artists we work with then bring their own approach to imagery, colour, pattern, shape, line and so on. A finished design will emerge from a process of sharing references and ideas. Pots of tea are often involved.
We take an interest in fine art and commercial design, but we are particularly inspired by work produced in the middle ground between the two. We love Edward Bawden’s graphic design and illustration for London Transport, for example; and Eric Ravilious’ ceramics for Wedgwood. It appears that some wonderful and unexpected things can happen when a talented individual meets a visually-aware organisation. This is very much the spirit we try to foster at St. Jude’s. It is also the basis for the bespoke projects we take on.
Provenance is a matter close to our hearts. We prefer to make our fabrics entirely in Britain. This enables us to develop ongoing relationships with great printers – people who really care about every inch of the material they produce. Having said that, we are always interested to hear from any maker and producer who pours thought and attention into what they do, wherever they are based. We are certainly open to interesting collaborations across international borders.
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A number of stockists across the UK hold our pattern book and will be very pleased to help choose your St. Jude's fabric.
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