Claire’s luxurious silk scarves, and accessories comprise a range of collections. The Moon Tree collection features illustrations of swallows, owls, passionflowers, architecture and woodland. Much of the narrative behind the imagery was inspired by folk stories and fairytales including an anonymous writer who hypothesized in 1703 that swallows fly to the moon to hibernate. An illustration of the moon can be found in each design and Claire has long been fascinated by the metaphorical power of forests and woodland in fairytales.
Hazy glimpses of cloud through verdant flora and fauna, the sound of birdsong over a waterlily pool…
Much of the Cloud Bloom collection was inspired by Claire’s time spent drawing in Trewidden Gardens, where her studio is located. The designs layer floral imagery with British garden birds and illustrations of nearby Mousehole harbour.
The Salt collection features Claire’s illustrations of the streets of St Ives, sea birds and cliff-top wild-flowers. These designs originated from a project for Cornwall Design Season, in which Claire showcased a collection of bespoke silk dresses at The Eden Project, with prints inspired by the heritage of Tate St Ives and its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
Nautical and floral imagery are blended in the silk scarves, purses and brooches of the Sea Garden collection. A project for Cornwall Design Forum, linking designers and writers in an exploration of Cornish food heritage was the unlikely inspiration for this collection. Claire’s theme was Cornish pilchards, resulting in illustrations of Newlyn Harbour, fishing boats and pilchards, alongside drawings of magnolias, bluebells, camellias, dandelions and anemones in Trewidden Gardens, where her studio is situated.
Textile designer Claire Armitage works from her studio in Trewidden Gardens, Cornwall, where the gardens and coastline inspire many of her drawings and designs. Claire has also worked as a freelance costume designer for nearly a decade; she is a lecturer at Falmouth University, and holds a BA in Textiles from Goldsmiths and an MA in Textile design. In 2013 Claire was delighted to win the British Craft Trade Fair award for Excellence.