Tweed Dreams

Following a successful Christmas season at Concrete Wardrobe, April’s Maker of the Month Exhibition sees the return of textile designer maker Katherine Emtage. Emtage designs and makes handbags, accessories and home wares, using Harris and other prominent Scottish tweeds, at her studio in Edinburgh.

Emtage’s work is contemporary with a vintage feel. Clean lines and deceptively simple designs create an aesthetic of beauty and elegance. Products are both practical and beautiful. The strength of the product is discretely contained within the hardwearing three-layer construction.

Her current collection includes day bags, evening bags, coin purses, corsages and tea cosies. A new development for 2012, launching at Concrete Wardrobe in April, is the introduction of leather to a selection of current and new designs.

“Leather provides a new dimension to the tweed, a new companion. Two strong classic materials with a long heritage, my aim is that their relationship is both contemporary and symbiotic. Connotations with old fashioned gentlemen’s clubs etc., is no longer relevant.” Emtage explained.

Some designs explore the surface texture of the tweed through quilting, rouching and folding the fabric. Other designs use colour blocking to emphasise the deep tonal quality of the wool.  Day bags are lined in hand printed cotton hemp, evening bags in silk taffeta. Natural materials are used wherever possible.

Fiona McIntosh, co-owner of Concrete Wardrobe commented,

“Emtage has a loyal customer base at Concrete Wardrobe who appreciate the quality and beauty of her work. Her new range shows that tweed has a place very much in the 21^st century.”

Concrete Wardrobe continues to support local and Scottish trained designer makers as Scotland’s foremost independent retailer of design led craft.

Emtage’s work will be on display from 1^st to 30^th April 2012. Concrete Wardrobe is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm. Sunday 12 to 4pm.