Esther Wilson

Freelance artist

Esther Wilson, granddaughter of the legendary architects Peter and Alison Smithson, works as an artist and embroiderer in London. Before training as an embroiderer at the Royal School of Needlework in London, Wilson completed a degree in fashion communication at the European Institute of Design in Madrid. Fashion plays an important role in Wilson's current work. She designs and makes clothes to which she applies embroidery for international customers. In 2016 fashion designer Hussein Chalayan commissioned her to collaborate in his collection and design embroidery using Swarovski crystals.

For Burberry’s The Makers House collection in 2017, Wilson embroidered cushions with insect motifs using the so-called “blackwork” technique. A form of embroidery with Arab and Persian roots, which was once used to create geometric patterns.

But even far away from the world of fashion, there have always been new and unusual collaborations where Wilson can demonstrate the versatility of embroidery: She works with landscape architect Gali Izard, for example. Esther Wilson teams three-dimensional, traditional embroidery techniques with model making to create organic and constructed tree root formations.
She also came up with an unusual concept for the print edition of Bike Magazine, for which she designed 1970s-style embroidery for a headline.
In addition, she teaches workshops on her modern embroidery style and concepts, for example at the launch of Threadworks in London. Esther Wilson's works are featured in many exhibitions in the United Kingdom.

Bauhaus

Reinterpretation