Worn Again's new Head of Product Design opened the doors to his house in Bath to show us where he lives and how his lifestyle inspires his work. And vice versa.
Briefly decribe your professional background - where have you come from and how have you ended up with Worn Again?
My design career began when I made some bags out of sail cloth and sold them in the fashion store where I worked (they were the first stockists of Paul Smith and Mullberry). I then progressed to designing menswear which I sold to a shop in Covent Garden and San Francisco. I eventually went to work with a husband and wife design team in Bath who were producing quirky shoes and accessories from a small factory.
Shoes and I seemed to get on well together, after a couple of years I went to Clarks on a one year contract and stayed for 15 ending up as the "new concepts" design manager. I became a freelance Designer in 2000 and have worked extensively with Clarks since but also with Caterpillar, Timberland, YSL, and Speedo, among others.
I decided to design a small range of sandals out of scrap car parts and it was during this process I heard of "Worn Again" and showed them my prototypes, It was an obvious decision to work together.
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Where do you live and work?
I work from home where I have a studio in the house and a small workshop in the garage where I create prototypes. My house was a bungalow which I have recycled into a chalet, using many recycled materials during the conversion like a tree trunk from the garden, old timbers together with new timber from sustainable sources, all materials were from local suppliers and nothing went to landfill. Even the carpets are made using recycled wool.
Visit the photo gallery for more pics...
Give us an insight into the design process for the Worn Again shoes and bags
The design process when working on shoes and accessories for Worn Again begins in many ways, the material itself can suggest the end use, i.e. car seat belts are an obvious choice for straps as are car tyres for the soles. It can be quite difficult to get an idea for a shoe first and then find the recycled material to use. I am a firm believer in form following function but with an added twist.
How important are craftsmanship, aesthetics and design in your work?
When the design process begins with car parts, bicycle inner tubes and ex army tents you have to treat these materials with the same respect you would when crafting high quality leathers otherwise they will look Products made using recycled materials will always look unique and individual, no two pairs will look exactly the same. Producing relatively small production runs allows us to keep an eye everything.
How have your personal values merged into your professional work?
I remember when the first glass recycling centre came to town about 20 years ago I couldn't wait to take the bottles down and post them through those little holes. At home we are now champion recyclers ,right down to the toilet roll tubes. Tell as a bit about the inspiration behind the styles you've designed for WA and where they are being produced. The styles I have been working on so far were easy to conceive because the materials told me what to do, inner tubes for bag handles, bicycle tyres for toe protection and scrap car seat leather for uppers. As time goes on I am expecting the design process to be more challenging. (These styles will be out in Autumn '07).
What are your thoughts on working with small scale producers?
The car sandal which will be available from this spring is being produced in a small family owned factory in Portugal which is owned by a friend who I have known for many years and visited often. It makes the whole development process very rewarding when you know where the components have come from and who has put them all together, if the demand exceeds the factory capacity we will have to look very carefully to find some one who shares our vision.
What are the plans for even more localised production here in the UK?
It is part of our vision to produce footwear and accessories as close to the consumer as possible. At the moment we are making small quantities of bags in the UK. It would be great to be able to extend this to shoes. Part of the challenge is combining our crafted constructions at the right price and quality. A tall order as most shoe factories in the UK have moved production to the Far East.
