Lauren Catris
@laurencatris


"I am Lauren Catris, an artist and luxury silk accessories designer. After studying Surface Pattern Design at Swansea Metropolitan University, I created my own style and accessories brand inspired by stories and items of sentiment, along with organic forms. It was during the pandemic that I was fortunate to have been able to revisit, and be commissioned, for my Fine Art. With A-levels in Double Art and a BA Honours degree in Surface Pattern Design, my brand not only celebrates and supports 'Slow Fashion', but more recently a brand that triggers escapism through its representation of style and story telling. With my love for painting my own portraits inspired by my accessories and brand, I decided to combine both creative outlets, further. This printed piece is an oil painting I did of one of my modelled pocket squares, layered with one of my hand designed patterns. Seeing the original portrait with its blue tones, and bursts of orange, made me think of this, my Porto Tile pocket square design. Clothing, and inevitably your style, can trigger nostalgia within you and the people you know. I have always been extremely sentimental, and the notion of creating items that are loved and worn forever, along with capturing the essence of a person through my own expressionable art, reflects this emotional experience. Whether it's forming a connection with a piece of art or clothing, it is this connection that creates an outward expression, and therefore becomes a part of your story; a story that I hope to be a part of."