Georgia Xanthe Dorey

Georgia Xanthe Dorey is an English textile designer. She graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2013 with an MA in printed textiles. 

Hello, Georgia! Where are you based?

I live between London and the rural English countryside where my studio is based.

What inspires you in general?

Day-to-day use of texture, colour, shape and combinations that I see all around me.

What is it like to be a young artist in your country?

Exciting, hard and lonely.

What attracts you about the FASHIONCLASH platform?

That it represents an exciting moment in a designer’s career. The work on show has not lost its sense of excitement; the FASHIONCLASH platform captures new ideas and a new way of thinking.

The FASHIONCLASH Exhibition is curated under the theme of ‘Age’. How does your creation relate to this year’s theme?

‘Wrap’ is a series of cloths suitable for wrapping all manner of bodies, ages and objects, which provide protection and adornment. My work is an exploration into the human relationship with cloth and shape. Each cloth can be interpreted by the individual, regardless of age, gender or ability; each cloth can function in a unique way brought to life by the individual.

How and why did you become an artist?

There has never been another path for me. To be able to realise and share my thoughts and ideas through making gives me more fulfilment than anything else.

What kind of feeling do you want to transfer with your creation?

An awareness of and interaction/engagement with cloth, texture, size, shape and colour.

What on your playlist when you are working?

Whitney Houston!

What book shaped you?

How to Wrap Five Eggs by Hideyuki Oka

Who is your favourite artist/designer?

It changes all the time and there are too many to mention. But at the moment, all the Japanese artists from the recent ‘Outsider Art from Japan’ exhibition at the Welcome Collection.

What is the latest thing you bought for yourself?

A Picasso screen-print on board called ‘Small Pierrot’. I was told it is an original from a large run of the same print; I am still investigating the truth in this!

What is your favourite fairy tale and why?

The Ship of Bones, By Terry Jones. This story is one of many in a book of fairy tales written by Terry Jones that my father would read from most nights when I was little. The Ship of Bones was one of my favourites about a man called Bill Stoker who, after a series of spooky events ends up having to eat his hat. At the end of the story there is a wonderful illustration of Bill mid-chew at the table eating his hat with a knife and fork, this image has stuck with me all these years.

If your life were a song what would the title be?

Ape on a Train called Jane.

What made you smile today?

A plastic teddy bear with a squeak.

What is your definition of style?

Comfort and enjoyment.

What has been the greatest experience in your career so far?

My two years spent at the Royal College of Art, I have never loved and hated something so much!

What can we expect from you in the future?

To see my work and ideas accessible on all levels, big, small, hard, soft, useful and conceptual.