An example of Grace Lillian Lee’s process can be viewed through these images. Starting here with an image of a sketch book which annotated drawings for a patterned print to be worn with a shell-lined variation of the designer’s iconic weave necklace.

Here you can see a sample of the materials and stimulus that fill Lee’s studio: fabric swatches, beads in jars, coils of thread, images from photo shoots, objects from nature, fashion magazines and artist books.

The black print on calico draped over the table, was made by printing the lino cut (also in the image) and printed in repeat to create a fabric.

The mannequin is wearing a prototype for a fashion piece that has developed through the sketches and the lino printed fabric from the first two images.

Grace Lillian Lee’s palette includes colours and textures in the mediums of fabric, thread, beads and shells. She uses rolls of fabric and refers to swatches and mood boards to create an endless variation of weaves to be worn with or without matching assembles.

Seeing the prototype on the mannequin with images from previous photo shoots reveals the shift from creating a fashion collection in the studio to creating a collection to be worn and displayed in stores and on the runway.