Art To Wear

"Always inspired by nature, I spent many years painting, creating textural images about my feelings of my spirit connection with the earth. Then I discovered felting. Felting fascinated me with its simplicity and ancientness, being the oldest known textile to man. So I started playing around with colours, textures and fibres, recreating my paintings in wool.

Showing my works in exhibitions in Switzerland and London, I realised I wanted to carry my art with me, so my wall hangings turned into sculptural clothing or “wearable art”. I’ve been on a journey ever since, creating my sculptural felt vests and accessories, which I now produce in my home studio in the vale of Avalon, Glastonbury, where I have made my home with my beauti-ful family, surrounded by nature and ancient sacred sites.

I love the simple life, being at one with nature and being connected to the earth and all the elements. My clothes celebrate women. I make clothes that are unique, elegant, earthy and simple; something that is timeless and that you can dress up and down, do the gardening in, party in or sit in ceremony.”

Sophie Harrison, felt maker

Employing the wet felting technique, Sophie Harrison uses a blend of natural fibres such as wool, hemp, flax, silk, cotton and alpaca, to create her wearable works of art. She has travelled the world and spent 10 years, on and off, living in India.
Her handcrafted apparel and accessories are inspired by nature and the colours and textures in the surrounding landscape.
She studied Fine Art, painting and printing at Breton Hall, Leeds University, and apprenticed in Switzerland with textile artist and felt-maker, Sophie Prieur, helping her make pieces of felt for fashion houses such as Versace, Fendi, Marni and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Sophie’s collection is available at www.elfn.co.uk.
She also accepts commissions for bespoke pieces. She can be contacted at elfnfelt@yahoo.co.uk.

INSTEAD OF OILS OR WATERCOLOURS, SOPHIE HARRISON USES NATURAL FIBRES AS A MEDIUM TO ‘PAINT’ THE COLOURS AND TEXTURES OF NATURE IN HER HANDCRAFTED FELT CLOTHES.