12 Jun 2014
Award-winning Weaversmith is victorious again
Graduate and Studio tenant Emily Whitesmith (Woven Textiles, 2010) has won the Mollie Makes Handmade Award for Social Enterprise.
Mollie Makes – established in 2011 – is a lifestyle and craft magazine for people who “live and love handmade”. This year’s are the inaugural Mollie Makes Handmade Awards, celebrating the craftsmanship and unique creations of designers in the handmade community.
As well as a cash prize, Emily has won a free listing on global marketplace Etsy which will greatly enhance the profile of her sumptuous fabrics and designs.
Following graduation, Emily undertook a three-month internship with renowned woven textile designer Margo Selby. Despite an exciting job offer with the company, Emily decided to go it alone and launch her own business – Weaversmith.
Under the Weaversmith brand, Emily combines her love of creating bespoke hand-woven fabrics using traditional techniques with running hand-weaving workshops at a number of venues including the WHM Working Connections centre.
Her beautiful designs are sought after by major textile design companies such as Desigual and Harlequin, and have earned a number of prestigious awards including accolades from the Worshipful Company of Weavers and the Society of Dyers and Colourists. In 2013, Emily won the Entrer Prix Award and an UnLtd HE Social Entrepreneurship Award to help finance the development of Weaversmith.
Head of the Studio, Megan Powell Vreeswijk, says of Emily’s success: “Emily’s designs are beautiful, and her dedication to sharing her substantial talent and skills through her teaching is unstinting. She thoroughly deserves this award.”