Spring / Summer 2013

Mædate is a respectable and recognisable brand, both for it’s

hand crafted purity and the concept. The designer, Sally Dewhirst

has strong ideas on how her label is reflected and as her Graphic

Designer, we have been able to work together to create the identity

suitable to elevate Mædate to professional levels. Every garment

is crafted with care and has a beautiful finish and aura to each

individual piece.

As the pages are turned, more garments will be revealed and the

story of both Mædate and that of macramé will unfold. It has been a

pleasure working with such a dedicated designer to her craft and to

be a part of something so delicate yet substantial.

Hazel Gage

Letter

Fashion Designer - Sally Dewhirst

www.maedate.co.uk

Graphic Designer - Hazel Gage

www.hazelgage.co.uk

Photographer - Anthony O’Hanlon

www.arkidstudios.com

Makeup Artist - Laura Pye

Model - Lauren Richards

Contributors

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The Mædate brand is a creation developed through

the inspiration of the delicate detailing on Japanese

warriors body armour. This delicate detailing is what

led to the use of the crafts macramé and knit to

knot threads, making this the focus on each product

created. With the inspiration coming from Japanese

samurais, Mædate felt the need to show the two sides

of the harshness you would expect from a warrior and

mix it with the delicateness that the armour shows,

within it’s brand.

With the word ‘mædate’ being used to describe

a form of Japanese body Armour and also a type of

knot used in the macramé process, it seems that it

is the perfect name given to this brand. This form

of ruggedness is shown in the products through the

use of suede threading, and throughout its strong

imagery. This is what gives you the image of the

samurai warrior, as it gives a rugged edge and feel

to the Mædate collection. When mixing this thought

with the idea of it meaning a form of macramé knot

and combining it with the soft alpaca wool brings

back the realisation of the delicateness meant by the

individually hand crafted pieces.

The skill of macramé dates back to the thirteenth

century. It is thought that is derived from Arabic origins

and from this it eventually made it’s through to Europe

and has recently become a skill that many desire to

learn. Macramé isn’t usually a craft that you would

associate with fashion garments, however recently

it has become very popular within the fashion industry

in creating garment’s and accessories. Many designers

found the hype of using this craft in fashion, Gucci has

to be most effective in their Spring 2011 collection,

the macramé is used in a striking way that it really

captures the beauty of the craft making it look as

though it should never been out of fashion.

About Mædate

Fashion is never far away from a knitted garment.

Knit is used from season to season in all forms of

garments, jumpers, vests, and cardigans and even in

accessories. With this in mind, Mædate has but a twist

to make the original idea of knit and combine it with

the macramé to create unique products. These two

techniques fit so well together creating a wearable

art piece that it desirable to many.

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Mæmi

£90

Michi

£205

Mædate has designed a collection of 6 products for its Spring / Summer 2013.

This collection is a mix of accessories including belts, legwear, bag and neckwear.

With each piece being individually crafted it is a time consuming process.

Each thread individually knotted and knit knitted.

As a brand, Mædate is determined to push forward the use of this craft into

the fashion community creating a range of products that are each as desirable

as one the last!

Anyone has the ability to produce products using crafts. It just takes

patience, time and passion. Textile crafts have been used to produce

products for centuries. Due to tough economical crisis that has hit

the country over the past few years people are keener to be part of

the creative culture, taking time to produce what it is they desire.

The use of crafts has developed so much that many designers

have caught onto the craft trend and have brought them to the

fashion industry.

Some of the crafts that we are seeing more of in fashion

are hand embroidery, batik dying as well as knit and macramé.

Understanding Craft

Hand Embroidery

The craft of hand embroidery is a craft that has been

used for centuries to decorate rugs, hats, blankets,

capes and dresses. With the development of machine

embroidery during the industrial revolution, this

original handcraft took a back seat for convenience.

However, some designers recently have discovered

the elegance of hand embroidery and in a recent

collection YSL brought hand embroidery back.

Not just into they 21st century but into the fashion

industry, hurrah!

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Patterns can be created on fabrics in many different

ways. Most recently the use of digital prints are used

for the ability to produce for fast fashion. A more

traditional way is in the art of Batik printing/dying.

Applying hot wax onto the material before dying is

what creates something unique and beautiful! Most

impressive designs come from Indonesian designer

Dries Van Noten. He expresses his love for print onto

soft fabrics and mixes them with elegant shapes.

Truly beautiful!

Patterns

Knit

Knit has worked within fashion for as long as it has

been created. It can be used to create chunky knits

for those cold winter days, or tight knitted jumpers

to wear comfortably on those cooler days. Mædate’s

designs have taken the chunky knit to a new level.

The chunky knit may usually be though of as a winter

warmer but with the mædate range it has been

created for spring summer, to be worn as an accessory

to compliment an outfit.

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This samurai inspired product was

created as an accessory to be worn over

an addition garment. The neckpiece

has two elements to it that make it such

an attractive piece. The knitted section

of the neckpiece is made up of 18

rows of knitted alpaca wool. The alpaca

wool gives a chunky harsh finish but

soft to touch. It is finished off with 40

strands of the suede threads the suede

threads give the contrast of soft and

hard materials. The suede is connected

to the wool using a macramé knot

called half hitch. This holds the suede

in place perfectly so that the next stage

can be completed. Using a knot called

the alternative square knit is what has

given the pattern effect on “Kata”. This

innovative accessory is finished of

perfectly with decorative beading on

alternate threads to add a little sparkle.

Perfect to wear over every

fashionista most prised possession,

a little black dress.

Kata

Kata

£190

9

Mæmi10

Mædate has designed these leg pieces to be connected to shoes and sandals to

give an outfit a new twist and touch of style in an original way. Each leg piece is

made of suede strips. The pattern of the macramé is created using the macramé

knot half hitch. The main cord is held tight in the direction that is desired, while the

decorative cord is knotted tightly over. This repeat knot has created a pattern that

is effective and works well as the leg piece. The ability of connecting them to shoes

gives this product and edge compared to many with the fashion industry.

Mæmi

£90

Spring / Summer 2013

1.

2.4.

3.

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1. Kata / neckpiece - £190 4. Satu / belt - £150

2. Uta / belt - £110 5. Mæmi / leg pieces £90

3. Michi / vest - £205 6. Alko / bag - £75

5.

6.

Fast fashion has increased so much within high street

stores that some stores have can new stock designed

and ready for sale within a matter of weeks. With

the detailing and passion that goes into producing

the Mædate products it would be impossible for a

brand like Mædate to have a turn around of a range

of products within this amount of time. This is what

makes Mædate stand out from the rest.

Mædate is passionate to produce products that

increase the awareness of handcrafts within the

fashion industry. The products created currently are

ones that are produced to be added to a previously

owned garment, giving this a new style and lease

of life. This idea of restyling garments to how the

consumer wishes is what makes the Mædate concept

uniquely different to any other crafted company.

While this is something that will continue as the

brand grows, Mædate would also wished to develop

and expand in order to achieve always giving the

customers what they desire.

To enable this, Mædate would like to move

forward in creating full garments. These garments

would be made up of natural materials, such as

cotton and bamboo, as the main body with selected

sections introduced that will bring the emphasis

back to what it is that created Mædate, the knit

and macramé. This way of designing means that

Mædate will develop seasonal products, keeping our

customers up to date with all the latest styles and

trends, whilst also keeping what it is that appealed to

our clients originally, the use of macramé and knit.

Future13

www.maedate.co.uk

info@maedate.co.uk