Su Owen
Norwich, norfolk.
A sense of fun is at the heart of my characters and designs. I like to make things that hopefully bring a little joy and make people smile. It's also important to me that the materials I use for my products are as sustainable as possible, can be recycled or are made from recycled waste. I'm now proud to have built a collection of brooches that are made from sustainable walnut and neckerchiefs that are made using Regenesis satin, a fabric created by recycling plastics that were previously used as packaging materials.
A couple of years ago I found myself unable to continue with my teaching job and was stuck at home due to a condition called adenomyosis. Adenomyosis is often referred to as the 'evil twin' of endometriosis. Both conditions are said to affect 1 in 10 women and can often cause debilitating symptoms.
Unable to work outside the home, I needed to be able to design and make products that were small enough for the kitchen table and easy to send. Being at home so much, I'd read and watched a lot about the havoc we wreak on our environment and I wanted that to somehow be an integral part of my collections, however, it was also important to me that my products were still fun and wearable! So, initially I created my 'Save Our Seas' collection of wooden brooches, these were very well received and spurred me on to work on more collections. To compliment the brooches, I also turned my attention back to creating designs for fabrics, something I have done off and on for a long time. Again, the focus for my new designs was on the type of fabric, I wanted to use material that had as small an impact on the planet as possible. I then came across the Regenesis satin, which I now use for my neckerchiefs, the fact it is made from plastic packaging waste was a no brainer for me!
I'm happy to say after undergoing surgery for adenomyosis in May '23, that I'm so much better and looking forward to expanding my collections even further.