Fleur Oakes

Fleur has worked in the fashion and textiles industry for twenty five years and is now a practicing textiles artist. With both a fine art and design background she has designed textiles for couture houses as well as producing her own corset range. Her current work is concerned with raised embroidery and is shown regularly at the Knit and Stitch Show. She also has work in the permanent collection of the V&A. She is a member of the Art Workers' Guild which was established in 1882 and is the home of the Art and Crafts movement.

Fleur is also teaching short courses at the West Dean London Bloomsbury campus. (Please see the link in the Short Courses toolbar on the website)

Describe you approach to teaching:

I like to find out what each student requires from their course and tailor it to them. All of my courses are designed to give students confidence not only in the new techniques they have come to learn but to inspire them to go further with personal projects.

What inspires you own?

I have always been inspired by old techniques in finishing and construction. To see the care taken by all the anonymous stitchers of the past I often feel a responsibility to carry this on. Then I go out into the garden and see how nature does it.