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A childhood toy was a harbinger of things to come for Margo Selby. Given a plastic Fisher-Price playloom at the age of four, Margo has gone on to become one of the UK's most successful contemporary textile designers.
Now 30, Margo was encouraged to pursue craft from a young age. As a child, she was taught to "stitch, crochet, knit and create" by her great-grandmother who attended the Royal School of Needlework in London. In so doing, Margo continued a family tradition of mastering the domestic arts.
Margo's dedication from an early age paid off. She won a raft of national awards, signed the Tate, National Gallery and Fortnum & Mason in London and Barneys in New York as clients, and in November, 2007, at the tender age of 30, opened her own gallery in London's chic Bloomsbury area.
“I am amazed to look back at the progress since I started creating designs on a handloom in my bedroom, yet I feel like I’ve only just begun and I can see so many possibilities ahead," Margo told Living Creatively.
Her gallery and retail space showcases the best of British-made craft and design. It's a beautiful space bursting with jewel-like colours, shapes and intriguing pieces. It features a range of Margo's colourful contemporary designs and products including her scarves, cushions, throws, purses and lavender bags, plus fashion, jewellery, art and craft pieces by emerging and established UK artists and designers. Among those currently showing are Tamsin Howells, People Will Always Need Plates, Bloq Design and Skirt Girl.
Margo uses the gallery and retail space to show how her colours and products can work together. “I want to encourage people to use my products creatively – for example, my wallpaper looks great when more than one scale and colourway of design are used together. This allows the composition of the pattern to be applied to a whole wall, room or space, adding eye-catching definition and dimension."
Despite the international success of her business, Margo keeps a sentimental reminder close at hand of how it all started. In the gallery’s basement sits the loom [not the Fisher Price model] upon which she perfected her craft.
"When I graduated from Chelsea Art College and The Royal College of Art, I applied for a development award from The Crafts Council of England. I was awarded a grant of £8,000 to buy equipment and start my business. I bought the loom with the funds and the only room big enough to weave in was my bedroom, which became my studio and office. I slept in the spare box room," says Margo.
"My loom is now in the workshop in the basement of my shop, and visitors can see it in action. It is on this loom that I still develop fabric concepts and ideas. I love working on the loom for the control the process gives you with definition and detail, and the ability to build a fabric architecturally from scratch.
"The handwoven pieces are very time consuming but I find the process quite meditative and the slowness allows the mind to slow down and think through all the creative ideas. I am currently hand weaving silk and cashmere accessories. I am in love with the silk and cashmere fabrics we are developing. I wanted to create a fabric which was super soft and sensual alongside being practical, as in warm and cosy.
"Handwoven fabric has a more rustic feel to it ... weaving is never as precise and mechanical as a machine. It is these imperfections which add to the beauty of the final product. But I still work with mills to produce much of my work – I develop ideas on the handloom which are then recreated in production allowing them to be affordable and accessible to a wider market and giving me the income I need to continue my creative development. The hand-woven and manufactured products both very much feed one another."
Long before she sits down at the loom or starts working with mills, however, Margo thinks a lot about colours and patterns. She says she is always absorbing and collecting inspiration for colour and pattern.
"My latest collection is inspired by a collection of ecclesiastical embroideries at Liverpool Cathedral. I first source images and then work on computer programmes to translate the shapes and colour into geometric designs which can be woven," says Margo.
“Rather than following existing trends I prefer to work instinctively, throwing shapes and colours together which feel fresh, unusual and exciting. I believe that successful design comes from being completely passionate and true to my own personal tastes, which are constantly changing.
"My designs are bold and geometric, in fresh, lively colours and they appeal to people who appreciate modern contemporary design with a high-quality finish. My work is certainly appreciated by people who have an artistic side."
The new gallery held its first exhibition recently. Called Construct, it featured a collection of multi-dimensional objects and surfaces including decorative wall panels, sculptural vessels, furniture and jewellery by artists who take an innovative approach to their work. "The makers in the show all developed their own techniques of joining, slicing, twisting and folding their fibre, metal or wood," says Margo.
Margo has sold her designs to Orson & Blake in Australia and her Online shop ships worldwide. If you're lucky enough to visit, Margo Selby is at 4-11 Gallen Place, London, WC1A 2JR.
By Carolyn Ford
