Misshapes: The Making Of Tatty Devine - The Exhibition

In collaboration with the Crafts Council, Misshapes is a touring exhibition celebrating 20 years of the quirky, individual British jewellery brand Tatty Devine. When I found out about this exhibition, I instantly knew I needed to go.....expecting it to be in London as most of the best exhibitions are so was over the moon to discover that this amazing exhibition was touring the UK, with 7 venues across the UK, including Leicester where I live!

Misshapes is the first solo show about Tatty Devine and will explore entrepreneurship, innovative British making and the power of creativity. Jewellery, sketchbooks, photos and flyers alongside two newly commissioned films will all tell the story of this creative duo. - Crafts Council

Tatty Devine is a brand that is close to my heart - a massive fan from the age of about 17. I first discovered the brand when it was featured in a Vogue feature and I remember thinking how different the pieces were. I purchased my first piece of jewellery when I was in college, I decided on my name in bright pink acrylic with a little heart charm. I loved the quirky, colourful nature of the brand and the statement, individual pieces of jewellery - it was like wearable art. I felt such an affiliation for the brand that I actually did a months work experience in the Brick Lane studio over the summer of my 2nd year of University (which I have scarily calculated was 13 years ago!!). I learnt so much not only about the brand and how to make jewellery but also a lot about myself and my personal style during that month, emersing myself in London and loving every minute. The huge dinoasur necklace shown in the above photo, was one of the many pieces in the collection that I worked on.... that dino was a bugger to make, all those individual bones had to be connected together with split rings! #fiddly

So onto the exhibition.......

Displayed in the De Montfort University Gallery, this perfectly curated collection, highlighted the history and heritage of the brand and showcased some beautiful pieces. A short film played alongside the exhibition, sharing the brands story through the eyes of the two founders, Harriet Vine & Rosie Wolfdenden. Some amazing retro footage with some truly epic vintage fashion and the perfect summary of the vision and passion behind Tatty Devine. Above are some of the pieces from the exhibition, pieces that resinated with my memories of Tatty Devine and the whimsical design that is synonomous with the brand.

These two images are of my favourite pieces from the exhibition, this enormous bedazzeled lobster is just amazing, and whilst I couldn't imagine wearing it ( soooooo big) there is just something about it that I love. And alongside it, Tatty does florals so well - a simple classic theme but created in such an unexpected and modern way, the detailing on this flower necklace is phenominal.

Can we take a moment to apreciate the wide colour palette in acrylics that the brand works with, some of these shades are just gorgeous. The first company to work in laser cut acrylics and they are staying true to this heritage and still to this day work mainly in this medium. This was an element of my work experience I found very interesting, watching a simple CAD image being loaded into the cutting machine and watching it seamlessly cut all of these intricate shapes out, that were simply popped out from the sheet of acrylic and made into jewellery.

Although my jewellery tastes have changed a lot, these days I prefer much more classic, simple pieces, I will always love Tatty Devine and the collections they make, the perfect reminder of my Uni days. Plus I do have a few pieces statshed away for centimental value - a black pegasus wing necklace, wooden mouse necklace, personalised charm necklace, flower bracelet and my origional name necklace.

Would love to hear if you have visited the exhibition and which was your favourite piece?

- ♡ -

Although the exhibition is half over there are still a few dates if you want to check it out....
Stephen Lawrence Gallery, University of Greenwich (27th February - 1st April 2020)
Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham, Wales (10th July - 13th September 2020)
Hove Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton and Hove (3rd October 2020 - 26th January 2021)
New Brewery Arts, Cirencester, Cotswolds (21th June - 10th September 2021)

Also to celebrate this exhibition, the Birthday Collection is now avaliable on the website - click here to SHOP 
(Image taken from Tattydevine.com)

♡

Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin' to keep up to date with new posts!