Crafts CouncilDirectoryAlicia WalkerThe Reward of LabourAboutA high-end fashion collection, taking aesthetic inspiration from the pottery industry, the silk and dye industry, and workwear in North Staffordshire. The collection explores different weights using ceramic, silks and workwear to tell the story of craftsmanship and working conditions. The interplay of materials highlights the complicated, intricate relationship between the region's industrial heritage and its craftsmanship. The collection champions natural dyeing and slow, place-based textiles.Alicia WalkerStoke-on-Trent, England'Work in Progress' embroidery close up, Alicia Walker'The Alchemist', Alicia WalkerChiffon silk naturally dyed with home-grown marigolds, coreopsis, sulphur cosmos, Durango red marigolds and onion skins. Glazed stoneware clay oil drops. Designed to sit underneath ‘The Weight of Work’. Using home-grown dye plants and food-waste, ‘The Alchemist’ is a statement for slow-textiles and the importance of local craftsmanship. I have followed William Morris’ ethos of taking time to create considered, hand-crafted products whilst also using natural dyes to tell the story of Morris learning to natural dye in Leek. It aims to encourage natural dyeing back into North Staffordshire. This piece merges the silk, natural dye and ceramic industry with heavy oil drops cascading down the sheer dress like they have dripped from the neckpiece. These drops pull on the drapey, light-weight silk in small sections. This subtly tells the narrative of the tough industrial condition’s workers were made to work in whilst creating delicate products across North Staffordshire.'Punch Card', Alicia WalkerLaser cut silk noil, dyed with tea and iron. Layered over organic denim and double stitched around the edge. ‘Punch Card’ focuses on the skillful craftsmanship involved in the silk mills. Laser cut holes have been taken directly from jacquard punch cards used in a mill just outside of Leek. Denim and double stitching have been used as a reference to workers’ uniform. Iron has been used to make the piece look oily and the laser has distressed around the edges of the holes to make the piece look exhausted, a reference to the skilled craftsmanship occurring in dangerous working conditions.'Work in Progress', Alicia WalkerProcion screenprint on vintage hemp. Naturally dyed silk embroidery threads with home-grown coreopsis, marigolds and sulphur cosmos. Blue vintage embroidery thread. Inspired by William Morris’ work in progress drawings. This piece brings attention to Morris’ want for workers’ rights and social equality between factory owners and workers. This has been done by contrasting the grey graphite ‘drawing’ with the bright embroidered flowers, showing the contrast between industrial conditions and the beautiful pieces produced. Using hand-processes, I have emphasised Morris’ ethos of making for purpose and enjoying creating rather than churning out products at a rapid speed. My home-grown dye plants have inspired the flowers for the print and have been used to dye the silk embroidery threads. This also emphasises the importance of local craftsmanship. The use of silk embroidery threads has been used to reference the silk threads produced by the silk mills in Leek. The weight of the hemp against the delicateness of the silk threads emphasises the idea of delicate silks being manufactured in heavily industrial conditions.'The Weight of Work', Alicia WalkerSmoke fired stonewear pirns taken directly from a cast of a pirn from a Leek silk mill, glazed stonewear clay oil drops attached to a distressed black chain. To emphasise the heavy, grimy labour workers had to endure working in the silk mills. The piece sits is heavy on the body as a symbol of the difficult working conditions. The pirns are a connection from the piece directly to the closed down silk mills, telling the story of the loss of craftsmanship in North Staffordshire and its industrial past. Designed to be layered over ‘The Alchemist’.The Reward of LabourAboutA high-end fashion collection, taking aesthetic inspiration from the pottery industry, the silk and dye industry, and workwear in North Staffordshire. The collection explores different weights using ceramic, silks and workwear to tell the story of craftsmanship and working conditions. The interplay of materials highlights the complicated, intricate relationship between the region's industrial heritage and its craftsmanship. The collection champions natural dyeing and slow, place-based textiles.Alicia WalkerStoke-on-Trent, England'Work in Progress' embroidery close up, Alicia Walker'Work in Progress', Alicia WalkerProcion screenprint on vintage hemp. Naturally dyed silk embroidery threads with home-grown coreopsis, marigolds and sulphur cosmos. Blue vintage embroidery thread. Inspired by William Morris’ work in progress drawings. This piece brings attention to Morris’ want for workers’ rights and social equality between factory owners and workers. This has been done by contrasting the grey graphite ‘drawing’ with the bright embroidered flowers, showing the contrast between industrial conditions and the beautiful pieces produced. Using hand-processes, I have emphasised Morris’ ethos of making for purpose and enjoying creating rather than churning out products at a rapid speed. My home-grown dye plants have inspired the flowers for the print and have been used to dye the silk embroidery threads. This also emphasises the importance of local craftsmanship. The use of silk embroidery threads has been used to reference the silk threads produced by the silk mills in Leek. The weight of the hemp against the delicateness of the silk threads emphasises the idea of delicate silks being manufactured in heavily industrial conditions.'The Alchemist', Alicia WalkerChiffon silk naturally dyed with home-grown marigolds, coreopsis, sulphur cosmos, Durango red marigolds and onion skins. Glazed stoneware clay oil drops. Designed to sit underneath ‘The Weight of Work’. Using home-grown dye plants and food-waste, ‘The Alchemist’ is a statement for slow-textiles and the importance of local craftsmanship. I have followed William Morris’ ethos of taking time to create considered, hand-crafted products whilst also using natural dyes to tell the story of Morris learning to natural dye in Leek. It aims to encourage natural dyeing back into North Staffordshire. This piece merges the silk, natural dye and ceramic industry with heavy oil drops cascading down the sheer dress like they have dripped from the neckpiece. These drops pull on the drapey, light-weight silk in small sections. This subtly tells the narrative of the tough industrial condition’s workers were made to work in whilst creating delicate products across North Staffordshire.'The Weight of Work', Alicia WalkerSmoke fired stonewear pirns taken directly from a cast of a pirn from a Leek silk mill, glazed stonewear clay oil drops attached to a distressed black chain. To emphasise the heavy, grimy labour workers had to endure working in the silk mills. The piece sits is heavy on the body as a symbol of the difficult working conditions. The pirns are a connection from the piece directly to the closed down silk mills, telling the story of the loss of craftsmanship in North Staffordshire and its industrial past. Designed to be layered over ‘The Alchemist’.'Punch Card', Alicia WalkerLaser cut silk noil, dyed with tea and iron. Layered over organic denim and double stitched around the edge. ‘Punch Card’ focuses on the skillful craftsmanship involved in the silk mills. Laser cut holes have been taken directly from jacquard punch cards used in a mill just outside of Leek. Denim and double stitching have been used as a reference to workers’ uniform. Iron has been used to make the piece look oily and the laser has distressed around the edges of the holes to make the piece look exhausted, a reference to the skilled craftsmanship occurring in dangerous working conditions.More from Alicia WalkerProjectThe Final FiringProjectThe Reward of LabourProjectThe Reward of Labour