Della Reed

29 Jul

Multiple collars worn as headpiece and collar Velvet Eccentric

“A lot of velvet was used at court to “show off” with this really luxurious material, high necks were the fashion.”

“It is a bit like painting a portrait. You have to get the essence of that person.”

“…from eccentric statement collars to basic baking and scrubs. What I was doing before was extremely frivolous. I simply could not do it.”

“A change of perspective is provoked and the context of communication changed.”

“Della’s pieces can be worn by anyone who is adventurous and brave enough to follow their feelings.”

Della Reed: Painted with Fabrics and Dripping with Pearls

Talking Ten Years of Velvet Eccentric with Della Reed

INTERVIEW BY DR BIRGITTA HUSE, 26.11.2020

PHOTOGRAPHY RAM SHERGILL

CREATIVE DIRECTION, SET DESIGN AND STYLING DAEN PALMA HUSE

TALENT JONAS HOSBOND

ALL RUGS AND TAPESTRIES C. JOHN MAYFAIR

While working she is surrounded by velvet, silk, brocade, lace, pleated fabrics and an “extensive, wild mixture” of small objects like pearls, medallions, ribbons, brass metal feathers, braids, sequins and even little ceramic swans. “I am looking out for material all the time” says Della Reed from Velvet Eccentric in London.

Lately the Designer of exclusive couture statement collars and headpieces made two pieces for J’Adore la Vie’s high-end cabaret and couture act. Reed describes them as “dripping with beads and pearls.” She talks to me about the moment she presented the finished creations to her customers for the first time and how excited she was about their reaction. Ami and Jan who also walked for the last ever Jean Paul Gaultier show put them on and instantly started walking, knowing well how to get the pearls, beads and pendant moving. “The body posture always changes when people are wearing my artworks” Reed states.

The artist describes her creative work which has featured in catwalk fashion shows in the Houses of Parliament, The Saatchi Gallery, London Fashion Week and others as “painting[s] with fabrics.” For her collages and combinations the material is crucial. She finds it at car boot sales, charity shops, vintage fairs and the like. Also, people simply give things to her, artefacts and curiosities alike, that they don’t need anymore. For Della Reed all of them are like treasures. She knows how to work wonders. Wearing a unique piece, she made - makes you feel opulent, though being made from discarded material.

Flower headpiece available from Wall & Jones, chest piece and ring Velvet Eccentric, crucifix stylist’s own

She starts her “conversation with the material,” the “found objects,” around a centre piece that she puts first. Asked how she proceeds she pictures her excitement while moving things about and trying out what works. “It is just the beauty. It has to feel right.” she enthuses. “It is like a building. I am engineering something.”

Velvet is the most important material for Reed, hence the name of her venture Velvet Eccentric. She describes the general luxurious feel connected with velvet, especially when directly on the skin. That is the reason for Reed to back many of her unique creations with velvet. I am wondering whether she creates different seasonal collars for winter and summer. Her answer is that “Velvet is like a winter alternative to silk which has a lighter, summery luxury feel.” but basically she does not follow the seasons while “painting with fabrics.”

She draws inspiration from the Crown Jewels in The Tower of London to the portraits in the Royal Room at the National Portrait Gallery. She loves the Tudor era, especially the times of Henry VIII. A lot of velvet was used at court to “show off” with this really luxurious material, high necks were the fashion. Reed relates her own works to the times of Henry VIII in the sense that one would have extraordinary things others wouldn’t have. She describes that she creates “Art Décolletage – wearable couture pieces of art that will become future heirlooms.”

When a customer commissions a Velvet Eccentric piece, Reed talks to the person the work is going to be for about why they want it, what they want and how they feel about it. “It is a bit like painting a portrait. You have to get the essence of that person” Reed says.

She feels that nowadays many people want to be the same. Reed provokes something completely different with her statement collars, every collar being a unique piece. She wants people to be adventurous and brave enough to follow their own feelings. To her opinion the motto should be “I am me, I am who I really am!”

Her statement collars are found in various settings depending on where someone wants to present herself/himself with the particular and unique work of art. Velvet Eccentric’s lending of pieces for photoshoots for editorials is very special. Reed often finds it surprising what clients do with her artworks. She is amazed how the same piece is used in different ways by different creative people. The variations, apart from diverse settings and styling, include using the piece on the hips instead of the neck for example. Also the pieces might be used “upside down.” – “People see something different. I like that!” the designer concludes.

Headpiece, collar and ring Velvet Eccentric

The beginning of the first lockdown in England on 23rd March 2020 marked an abrupt change in daily routine for everyone, also for Reed. I noticed a remarkable development on her Instagram account @velveteccentric. Instead of statement collars and photos taken during events I now saw images of bakery and scrubs. Reed resumes about that time: “…from eccentric statement collars to basic baking and scrubs. What I was doing before was extremely frivolous. I simply could not do it.”

She continues that the role of artists in these times would somehow be comparable to the frontline workers who provide essentials like medical service, food and much more. Artists would provide something like a “second, important row behind the frontline.” Reed says that she just did what was needed. “It felt like the right thing to do. I was inspired by wanting to help.” Together with several friends she changed from a very individual and complete creative process to a kind of production line. The patterns for the scrubs had to be followed, the same process worked through again and again. Reed’s sewing machine, which she otherwise hardly uses for her work, took over. The whole production of scrubs, scrub bags and masks was not only something new for the artist. It certainly put her under a different pressure of time and urgency, though Reed comments “I got myself in a nice rhythm with it.”

Bolero jacked Wall & Jones, headpiece Velvet Eccentric, antique pendants Bentley & Skinner

Collar Velvet Eccentric, faux skull Koo Arts, leather vest and shirt Wall & Jones

During lockdown Reed documents herself twirling on her Velvet Eccentric social media account. She tells me that she sometimes simply starts to move nearly without realising it. It would give her a feeling of joy and lightness, a kind of renewal. She loves to twirl since childhood, her preferred place for twirling being an open space in nature like a field, for example. “When you are twirling make sure you are doing it both ways. Change the direction after a while and keep twirling as long as you did towards the first direction. Otherwise you would feel really out of balance” Reed recommends. For me it is fascinating to talk with her about her special lockdown rhythm of work, twirling included. Her elaborate ideas with regards to movement and her art would make for another feature altogether.

Headpiece and layered collars Velvet Eccentric, period earring and ring Bentley & Skinner, shirt Wall & Jones

Reed has experience with chances and changes. Having finished a fine art degree in painting she was painting and exhibiting her works. She was art editor on magazines such as Marketing and BBC Ariel before she started with her venture Velvet Eccentric on 26 November 2010. “I simply had to do this!” she explains.

Whereas Reed also loves twirling in nature and feeling dizzy but free, we have the chance to fall in love with her ever new ideas and creations she offers to us. Recenty, she works on her new collection of head and face pieces. The attraction is that changing parts of the face, the décolleté and the head are hidden from sight. On one hand we have a person inside of the face covering with a certain perspective on the outside world which is shaped by the worn object for example with a grid. On the other hand we have an “outsider” who can only see certain parts of the head of his vis-à-vis, only the parts she/he is permitted to see. The artist defines that this is “somehow suspicious and involves secrecy. A change of perspective is provoked and the context of communication changed.”

Neckpiece, collar and headpiece Velvet Eccentric, period earring Bentley & Skinner

Collar and ring Velvet Eccentric, vest and shirt Wall & Jones

Della Reed’s main wish for the 10th Velvet Eccentric jubilee this November and after is to “continue using materials I have not used before. Materials other than fabric, ones you would not think of using.” To give a little hint, Della is fascinated by insects…

Altogether it was a real pleasure for me to talk with the artist, painter and designer Della Reed. Her enthusiasm is infectious and she is an open minded and curious conversational partner. Apart from several important details I learned the following during the interview: her pieces can be worn by anyone who is adventurous and brave enough to follow their feelings.

For more information visit www.velvet-eccentric.co.uk

UK stockist in London: www.wallandjones.com

Daen Huse