CHARLES & PATRICIA LESTER

FASHION DESIGNERS FROM WALES

Special Offers

Model Sasha

Photograph Charles Lester

Charles and Patricia Lester live in the valley of the river Usk near Abergavenny, Wales. Patricia initially started the fashion design business, teaching herself to sew. Charles and Patricia then taught themselves to dye and print fabric. This was a very hard self-taught apprentiship in the fashion design business. Their Welsh home was used in the nineteenth century as the location for the hymn 'There is a Green Hill Far Away'. The green hill is the mountain, the Sugar Loaf, on the other side of the valley. 'The purple mountain by' is the Blorange mountain; Charles and Patricia live at the foot of this mountain. In certain lights the mountain turns a deep purple in colour, probably due to the abundant growths of heather. The river in the hymn is the river Usk and the castle is Abergavenny castle.

COUTURE CREATIONS OF WEARABLE ART

Charles and Patricia are both self taught in this couture business and have built it from nothing forty years ago. Patricia was a secretary at one of the Oxford colleges before their marriage, Charles was a research scientist for ICI. They have now established an international reputation for their textile and couture fashion. Creators of elegant wearable art. They have developed aesthetic fabrics and clothes being in the unique position of being able to couture the cloth as well as the designer clothes they make. Their lack of any formal training has meant that they are uncluttered by the formality of fashion techniques found in text books and colleges. Therefore each piece of fabric is hand painted, hand printed or pleated by hand, the fabric is then made into elegant and rare pieces of wearable art. These designer garments are not made in volume as the time it takes, from the first painting layers of colour onto the cloth to the finished garment, limits the number possible. A select number of wearable art pieces are 'one of a kind'. Even the luxurious accessory collection of shawls and scarves is not produced in any volume. They are excellent as a glamorous corporate gift, as well as being an unusual gift for an intimate friend.

LUXURY HOME INTERIOR DESIGNS

Having established their identity in the very specialised area of elegant fashion, including their romantic bridal collection, plus-size and regular fashion collections, they decided to adapt their skills for the luxury interior decorator market. Their extraordinary silk tapestries, made out of the hand pleated silk, are a unique art form. Their creative interior art work has been shown in art exhibitions in London, Paris and New York. They have a comprehensive creative range of pillows, cushions and bedcovers as well as throws and table toppers. They also design and create more sculptural decorative art pieces such as large folding screens and fabric pictures. Charles and Patricia are happy to work with interior decorators and individuals alike where they can combine their experience and skill with textiles to create unusual pieces for the home or for important corporate decoration.

FILM, OPERA AND TELEVISION COSTUMES

More recently they have extended their horizons working for films and the worlds of opera and television costume design. Their unique work as a couture fashion design team is admired and collected by Royalty and icons of the film, opera and pop music world - those who appreciate the aesthetic luxuriant quality of the wearable art pieces that they design and make.

More about our plus size fashion collection

Tel: 0044 (0) 1873 855115

Abergavenny, Wales,

NP7 7RL. UK.

fax: 0044 (0) 1873 858666