UKFT Rise – Founder Feature with Eva the Weaver Studio
20/05/2022
Meet Eva May Dennis, 26, founder of Eva the Weaver Studio, the brand exploring the potential of surplus textile materials granting them a new purpose and preventing them from going to landfill. Eva’s sustainable approach has led to her creating upcycled and full of character accessories and homeware products.
Read Eva’s feature with UKFT Rise below:
Company launched in: January 2020
My background is in… woven textile design. I discovered weaving while studying at Central Saint Martins. I always thought I would specialise in knitting but I found working with a knitting machine very hard as my knitting kept falling off! (I probably wasn’t doing something right.) On a weaving loom, the work in progress is very securely wound on. My name rhyming with Weaver is a bonus!
I decided to start my business because… after finishing my degree in textile design, I was becoming increasingly aware of the damaging effects of the industry on the environment. I felt the urge to start my own business that has a particular focus on re-using and upcycling. The products I have developed include unique woven cushions filled with material off-cuts from the weaving process and woven brooches. Everything I make is crafted from pre-loved fabrics and surplus yarn stock.
Something that really helped in getting my business off the ground is…winning a place on the Make It Programme at Cockpit Studios. This 2-year award provides free studio space and regular business mentoring for makers aged 16-26 who are starting a business. This life-changing experience has fuelled my motivation throughout the past two years and helped me become a much more confident business owner.
An area of business I’d like to gain more knowledge of is… exporting goods in a sustainable way and developing my awareness of overseas markets.
Three important qualities for an entrepreneur are… resilience, creativity, and dedication.
A UKFT Rise subscriber I find inspiring would be… It was very hard to choose just one! iinouiio’s innovative recycled yarn is an amazing example of utilising waste. It was also inspiring to learn about how they overcame difficult times as a business. As I use surplus and recycled yarn in my weaving, their product really stood out to me!
Something happening in the industry that’s inspiring me right now is… The link between textiles and mindfulness. Since the Covid pandemic lockdowns, there seems to be an increased interest in making and crafting by hand. Before this, I hadn’t thought about how weaving or another activity could have a positive impact on someone’s wellbeing.
A change I’d like to see in the industry would be… I hope that the trends of mending, customising, and swapping garments continues to grow until it becomes the norm and accessible to all.
Can you elaborate on the inspiration in your work? My work is mainly inspired by the vintage and pre-loved fabrics I collect and use as weaving wefts. The retro prints and patterns help me design ideas when working on the loom. A favourite piece of fabric that I have woven with is a 1970s corduroy curtain because of its chunky fabric weight and bold colours.
What are your achievements and how have they shaped your career? The Jill Humphrey Springboard Prize has supported me with purchasing a second loom for teaching. At the start of 2022, I started running one-to-one workshops. This day-long experience teaches the process of designing a warp, setting up the loom, and weaving a bespoke piece. I am proud that I have designed this workshop from scratch and it has opened up another path of income for my business.
I define sustainability as… being resourceful by reworking and reusing already existing materials.
Do you have any exciting news to share for 2022? I have a collection of woven brooches stocked with Atelier100, a new shop in West London, opening in May 2022.