All items by Le Chiffonier

Weaving the past to strengthen the future

Like many in West Yorkshire my family history is rooted in weaving. Occupations listed in the family tree include handloom weavers, mill workers, warp dressers, piece fullers and clothiers, dating back to the 18th Century and beyond.

Although my current practice is informed by this history, my design ideas are drawn from Scandinavian traditions, West African methods and archaeological sources.

Some weaving is done in Leeds, but I also spend time weaving outdoors in Cyprus. In researching my practice I spent time working with textile craft workers in the Turkish town of Sultanhisar. Many of the yarns that I use are produced in Turkey. Although the processes I use are traditional, I have experimented with modern yarns and I have produced my own yarns using recycled materials.

The name 'chiffonier' is a French word meaning rag picker. The equivalent of the German 'lumpensammler'. I chose this name as a reference to the fact that my father's forebears were rag dealers in the West Yorkshire Heavy Woollen District town of Batley, the home of recycled textiles, 'shoddy' and 'mungo'.