Rosie Taylor-Davies

Embroiderer

©️Taylor-Davies Design Ltd

Marvellous threads

Rosie studied dress history and pattern cutting
She featured in the V&A Opus Anglicanum exhibition
Her specialism is the history of dress and embroidery

Rosie Taylor-Davies' curriculum is impressive. She studied design, garment production and development, women’s and men's wear at the London College of Fashion, fashion drawing at Central St Martins College of Art and Design, textile printing at London College of Printing and embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace, where she was then invited to become the Head of the Commercial Studio. Born in New Zealand, Rosie Taylor-Davies moved to the United Kingdom to study. London based, she has worked in costume for theatre, film and television, as well as in commercial and bespoke garment production. At the beginning of 2020, she conceived The Scrubbery and since February she has been working to make scrubs for health workers in South London.

Interview

©️Taylor-Davies Design Ltd

©️Taylor-Davies Design Ltd

When did you first think about this craft?: It was just a natural evolution of my career from designing and making garments. People who encountered my work wished to collaborate on projects, particularly Judith Clark, with whom I have worked on a number of significant commissions.
Is your work contemporary?: When it is possible, I like to combine tradition and innovation. I take historical techniques and interpret them in a modern way, particularly in embroidery, using both historic and modern materials.
What’s the proudest moment of your professional life?: One of my proudest moments is making the film for the V&A Opus Anglicanum exhibition, because I had to sit at a distance from my frame piercing stitches at an arms length 1 silk thread in diameter and make even stitches of 2mm long.
What is The Scrubbery?: Conceived before the start of the pandemic, The Scrubbery began as a family run initiative. I started sewing scrubs for my daughter, a Junior Doctor, who lacked appropriate PPE. Today, with the help of family, friends and over 150 volunteers, the project has provided over 26,000 items to healthcare workers across London.

Rosie Taylor-Davies is a master artisan: she began her career in 1996 and she started teaching in 2005