Image credit: Jon CardwellIsabel Fletcher is a textile artist who explores the way overlooked production offcuts can act as portals into the craft of their industry. Reframing disregarded offcuts as glimpses into the craft of making, she aims to increase empathy for possessions and encourage a reduction in consumption and waste.
Working intuitively by responding to the nuanced properties presented by offcuts, Isabel’s sculptural works take on ambiguous forms. She is fascinated by materials and their transformation from 2D to 3D. Stitching, draping, gathering, tensioning, separating, layering, cutting, joining: these are processes Isabel utilises when critically interacting with her materials as she seeks to identify their three-dimensional possibilities. The abstract nature of the work allows the mind to wonder and imagine beyond the now normalised systems of take, make, waste. Imagination is key.
With a practice rooted in craft but working across art and design depending on the project, Isabel has collaborated with brands such as Kvadrat and TOAST and has presented work in both solo and group exhibitions, including ‘Waste Age’ (Design Museum), ‘Eternally Yours’ (Somerset House) and the craft gallery Cavaliero Finn. She regularly runs workshops and completes commissions for galleries, interiors, and clothing.
Email
studio@isabelfletcher.com
Instagram
@studioisabelfletcher
Working intuitively by responding to the nuanced properties presented by offcuts, Isabel’s sculptural works take on ambiguous forms. She is fascinated by materials and their transformation from 2D to 3D. Stitching, draping, gathering, tensioning, separating, layering, cutting, joining: these are processes Isabel utilises when critically interacting with her materials as she seeks to identify their three-dimensional possibilities. The abstract nature of the work allows the mind to wonder and imagine beyond the now normalised systems of take, make, waste. Imagination is key.
With a practice rooted in craft but working across art and design depending on the project, Isabel has collaborated with brands such as Kvadrat and TOAST and has presented work in both solo and group exhibitions, including ‘Waste Age’ (Design Museum), ‘Eternally Yours’ (Somerset House) and the craft gallery Cavaliero Finn. She regularly runs workshops and completes commissions for galleries, interiors, and clothing.
studio@isabelfletcher.com
@studioisabelfletcher
Solo Exhibitions
2020. Offcut Two. Downstairs at The Department Store, London.
2019. Offcut One Textiles. 100% Design, London.
2017. Beneath the Surface Part Two. London Design Festival, Squire & Partners, London.
2017. Beneath the Surface. Animali Domestici, London.
Group Exhibitions
2024. 20 Years of Cavaliero Finn. London Craft Week. London
2024. Tailored. The Hub, Sleaford. Lincolnshire.
2023. Future Heritage. The Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, London
2023. Green Grads. London Design Festival, Heals, London
2023. Suspended Matter. Brompton Chapel, London
2023. Legacy. Royal College of Art, London.
2022. Skipton Big Ideas: Where Waste Meets Design. ArtHouse Jersey.
2022. Eternally Yours x TOAST. Somerset House, London.
2022. Interpret. Royal College of Art, London.
2021. Waste Age. What Can Design Do? Design Museum, London.
2019. Progress to Process: Interwoven. Refashioning the future of textiles. Makerversity, Somerset House, London.
2018. Transparency in Fashion: From Fibre to Garment. Benk + Bo, London.
2018. Material Explorations: Waste Streams Talk. Makerversity, Somerset House, London.
2018. Material Explorations: Waste Streams, Makerversity, Somerset House, London.
2018. Collaborative Art & Making at The Department Store, London Craft Week, Squire and Partners, London.
2017. Drawing a Line Under Torture, Freedom From Torture, London.
2020. Offcut Two. Downstairs at The Department Store, London.
2019. Offcut One Textiles. 100% Design, London.
2017. Beneath the Surface Part Two. London Design Festival, Squire & Partners, London.
2017. Beneath the Surface. Animali Domestici, London.
Group Exhibitions
2024. 20 Years of Cavaliero Finn. London Craft Week. London
2024. Tailored. The Hub, Sleaford. Lincolnshire.
2023. Future Heritage. The Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, London
2023. Green Grads. London Design Festival, Heals, London
2023. Suspended Matter. Brompton Chapel, London
2023. Legacy. Royal College of Art, London.
2022. Skipton Big Ideas: Where Waste Meets Design. ArtHouse Jersey.
2022. Eternally Yours x TOAST. Somerset House, London.
2022. Interpret. Royal College of Art, London.
2021. Waste Age. What Can Design Do? Design Museum, London.
2019. Progress to Process: Interwoven. Refashioning the future of textiles. Makerversity, Somerset House, London.
2018. Transparency in Fashion: From Fibre to Garment. Benk + Bo, London.
2018. Material Explorations: Waste Streams Talk. Makerversity, Somerset House, London.
2018. Material Explorations: Waste Streams, Makerversity, Somerset House, London.
2018. Collaborative Art & Making at The Department Store, London Craft Week, Squire and Partners, London.
2017. Drawing a Line Under Torture, Freedom From Torture, London.
Education
2023. Royal College of Art. MA Textiles. (Mixed Media)
2016. University of Leeds. BA Fashion Design.
2012. Kingston University. Art Foundation.
Residencies
2023. Artist in Residence, Kvadrat, Clerkenwell Design Week.
2022. ArtHouse Jersey. Skipton Big Ideas: Where Waste Meets Design.
2018. Maker With A Mission, Makerversity, Somerset House.
Talks and Public Speaking
2023. I Am Many Things, Royal College of Art, London
2023. Craft and Sustainability, Crafts Council, New Designers, London
2023. Traditional Techniques, Innovative Possibilities, Royal College of Art, London
2022. Skipton Big Ideas: Where Waste Meets Design, ArtHouse Jersey
2018. Material Explorations: Waste Streams, Makerversity, Somerset House, London
2018. Collaborative Art & Making at The Department Store, London Craft Week, London
Selected Publications
2021. Elle Decoration, The Art Special
2021. The Lissomme
2020. House and Garden, Introducing: Studio Isabel Fletcher
2020. The Earth Issue, In Conversation with Isabel Fletcher
2019. Crafts Magazine, Paths Less Trodden
2023. Royal College of Art. MA Textiles. (Mixed Media)
2016. University of Leeds. BA Fashion Design.
2012. Kingston University. Art Foundation.
Residencies
2023. Artist in Residence, Kvadrat, Clerkenwell Design Week.
2022. ArtHouse Jersey. Skipton Big Ideas: Where Waste Meets Design.
2018. Maker With A Mission, Makerversity, Somerset House.
Talks and Public Speaking
2023. I Am Many Things, Royal College of Art, London
2023. Craft and Sustainability, Crafts Council, New Designers, London
2023. Traditional Techniques, Innovative Possibilities, Royal College of Art, London
2022. Skipton Big Ideas: Where Waste Meets Design, ArtHouse Jersey
2018. Material Explorations: Waste Streams, Makerversity, Somerset House, London
2018. Collaborative Art & Making at The Department Store, London Craft Week, London
Selected Publications
2021. Elle Decoration, The Art Special
2021. The Lissomme
2020. House and Garden, Introducing: Studio Isabel Fletcher
2020. The Earth Issue, In Conversation with Isabel Fletcher
2019. Crafts Magazine, Paths Less Trodden