URL Slug: /pages/case-study-the-bespoke-wearable-art-series
While the studio’s practice primarily lives on gallery walls and inside commercial hospitality spaces, select private commissions allow for the translation of fine art embroidery onto bespoke, structural garments.
This case study features an ongoing, multi-year collaboration with a private collector in Los Angeles, USA. Beginning with a client-supplied military khaki jacket based on the studio's foundational artwork, the creative dialogue expanded across three distinct garments, ranging from precise structural briefs to open, creative freedom.
Translating fine art compositions onto wearable clothing presents a unique structural challenge: needlework and beadwork originally built for static gallery canvases must bend, drape, and move naturally with the body without distorting the garment’s silhouette.
To maintain each garment’s movement while preserving high-density embroidery, every piece in the series was executed in two distinct phases:
Standalone Applique Construction: The intricate forms, raised French knot clusters, and beadwork were first hand-embroidered as individual, highly detailed textile appliques on the studio frame in London.
Hand Assembly & Position Mapping: Each completed applique was pinned, aligned, and hand-stitched directly onto the garment, allowing the embroidered topographies to flow naturally over structural seams, collar edges, and shoulder lines.
Inspired By: 'Viola Odorata' (Original Fine Art Embroidery Artwork)
The Brief: The collector supplied a structured, military-style khaki jacket with a clear directive: translate the dense, organic topographies of 'Viola Odorata' - the foundational artwork that launched the studio's signature Viola collection - onto the jacket's back and shoulder panels.
The resulting composition wraps fluidly over the collar and back yoke, using raised French knots, multi-directional stitching, and tonal gradients to echo the map-like depth of the original canvas.
Viola Odorata: The original studio fine art embroidery piece featuring dense needle painting and organic topographical gradients.
Composite layout showing the military khaki jacket, detailing the fluid placement of hand-embroidered appliques across the chest, collar, back yoke, and shoulders.
Inspired By: The M Pearl Letter (Original Fine Art Beaded Artwork)
The Brief: For the second commission, the client provided a precise architectural brief influenced by the high-density pearl work of The M Pearl Letter: craft a dramatic, seven-pointed star epaulette designed to sit commandingly over the shoulder seam of a structured black blazer.
Drawing directly from the pearl and glass bead techniques of the original M monogram, the studio developed a three-dimensional star applique packed with lustrous pearls, glass seed beads, and metallic threads. Engineered to drape smoothly over the shoulder contour, the piece bridges crisp formal tailoring with tactile, jewel-like sculpture.
The M Pearl Letter: The original studio artwork exploring high-density pearl clustering and metallic threadwork.
Composite layout showing the tailored black blazer, featuring the completed seven-pointed star applique on the studio frame, shoulder drape details, and full garment styling.
Inspired By: Diatoms & Sea Jewels in the Snow Series (Fine Art Collection)
The Brief: Granted total creative freedom ("go crazy and get creative"), the studio drew direct inspiration from its Sea Jewels in the Snow collection - an ongoing series exploring the intricate silica shells of microscopic marine organisms like diatoms and plankton.
Scattered across the washed denim canvas, individual circular 'cell' appliques were hand-stitched to mimic living glass organisms floating in space. Combining French knot centers, bead clusters, and metallic accents, the piece transforms a casual everyday garment into a conversational, living art topography.
Sea Jewels in the Snow & Diatom Studies: Original fine art compositions exploring microscopic cell topographies, raised beadwork, and alcohol ink washes.
Composite layout of the washed denim jacket, showcasing pinned studio layouts, full reverse cell placement, and macro detail shots of standalone circular appliques.
The Inspiration Works: Viola Odorata, The M Pearl Letter, and the Sea Jewels in the Snow series and Diatoms artworks.
The Technique: Standalone hand-embroidered appliques, dense French knot clusters, multi-level glass and pearl beadwork, and direct-to-garment hand assembly.
The Garments: Client-supplied military khaki jacket, tailored black blazer, and washed denim jacket.
The Location: Commissioned for a returning private collector in Los Angeles, USA.
Bespoke garment commissions are accepted on a strictly limited basis each year to ensure dedicated studio time for structural mapping, applique development, and hand-stitching.
Whether reinterpreting an existing portfolio piece, bringing a precise custom vision, or granting total creative reign for a series, every commission is built through direct dialogue between the collector and the studio.