Founded by Carolyn Clewer, the Essex girl and Parisienne, Tiphaine de Lussy, Paris Essex is the result of years of collaboration between the two knitwear and textiles specialists, which began at the Royal College of Art. 

Paris Essex revisits the craft and clichés of knitting and crochet, playing with combinations of hand and machine techniques. The partnership has a long history rooted in fashion, with an archive including knitwear and accessory collections and collaborations. They share a visual language and are drawn to the materials, processes and pace of fashion, the continual reinvention and juxtaposition of ideas. They have placed themselves in a space where distinctions between craft, design, high art and low culture are blurred.

A Paris Essex "Crazy Blanket" represents a creative dialogue between Clewer and de Lussy; the two take it in turns to work with crochet and knit, using luxurious blends of mohair, wool and super-synthetics.

Each blanket is individually created by the duo, taking on its own personality as it grows organically and fluidly. Pieces are created like fluffy paintings, mixing colours, patterns and textures with yarns and technical processes. The process is more akin to collage or patchwork than meticulously planned design, combining elements from disparate cultures and characters within their urban environment, tv, art, or from childhood memories: escapism and fantasy merging with reality in East London.

“The way that we work is usually to start with knitting pieces - hand manipulating and in a way ‘drawing’ on a chunky domestic knitting machine. We then use crochet techniques to work onto these and join different pieces together, gradually building up a bigger picture, adding more knit or crochet elements. During the making process we often have discussions, change directions and sometimes we unravel or rearrange elements…. We embrace the human instincts that attract us to facial features and bright colours and many pieces include knitted eyes, mouths and faces.” With names such as Harlequin, Little Stompy or Flower Face, each blanket tells its own story, mixing in patterns, shapes and characters.

For sales, commissions,  press, collaborations and consultancy, please contact info@parisessex.com

For Paris Essex online storefront CLICK HERE for 1st Dibs

 Exhibitions and shows:

· “FANCY” 03.03.23 -26.03.23 Solo show Curated by Kavel Rafferty at Hotel Michele 231 Northdown Rd, Margate, CT9 2PJ. Part of POWThanet festival.

·  “Material Girl” 07.12.22- 08-01-23 Group show with The Bomb Factory Art Foundation. 99-103 Long Acre London WC2E 9NR

·  “Paris Essex in Los Angeles” 15.07.20- 22.08.20 Solo show at Emma Scully Gallery 1850 Industrial Street LA California USA

·  “Out of the Box”12.12.19 -13.2.20 group show curated by Emma Scully Gallery at Nonfinito Gallery 108 South Street NY, NY, 10038

·  “Jamboree” 1-12 October 2019. Solo show at Artifex Gallery, Gaono 1, Vilnius, Lithuania

· “SWAB Seed “ at SWAB Art Fair Barcelona 26-29 September 2019. Exhibiting with Art Superspace Gallery

·  “Phantasms” 14-20 September 2019 group show for London Design Week at Lassco Brunswick House SW8 2LG

 ·   “Meet the Designers” Installation 14-22 sept London Design Fair 2019 at W.A.Green London EC2A 3DH

·   “Processing Lichen” London Craft Week 2019 show at The New Craftsmen May- June 2019 Mayfair London W1K 6DG

·  ‘Wall of WOW’ at White Milano, Feb 2019, Tortona 27 - Superstudio Più, Milan. Itay. Invited to create installation in KnitLab area.

·   “TOBV Summer Exhibition” Aug-Sept 2018. The Old Bank Vault London E2 .http://www.theoldbankvault.com

·    ""Step Into Paradise: Kinda Couture" Romance Was Born A/W 18-19. 2nd July 2018. 14 Rue de Trévise 75009 Paris. www.vogue.com https://www.afr.com

·    "Flash Sightings" 3rd-13th May 2018. Paris Essex with Louise Melchior The Old Bank Vault London E2 .http://www.theoldbankvault.com

·     "New Narratives", 9-21 March 2018. Paris Essex with Louise Melchior . hARTSlane Gallery, London UK www.hartslane.org

·     "Figures of the City" International Exhibition of Creative Pattern. Nov.11-20, 2017. Invited by China Academy of Art and Hangzhou Municipal Government. Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China.

·       London Design Fair, Sept 2017 - Truman Brewery, London UK

·      "Between Things",15 April- 20th June 2017. Curated by Kaavous Clayton and Ben Coode-Adams, The Minories, Colchester, UK

Press:

·  Introspective Magazine ARTISTIC PRACTICE. Article by Elizabeth Fullerton 16/08/2020

·  Selvedge Magazine Blog July 28th 2020 https://www.selvedge.org/blogs/selvedge/crazy-blankets

·  Sight Unseen 20th July 2020 https://www.sightunseen.com/2020/07/week-july-20-2020/

·  NZZ am Sonntag Magazin 2nd Dec 2019 Konsumkultur feature @nzzbellevue

·    Collezioni Sport and Street 87 AW 19/20 . Feature

·     Viewpoint Colour #06: Rise Up . Colour Trend Forecast Magazine- Featuring Sunny Sky Blanket

·     ArtSuperMagazine MIART 2019 https://artsupermagazine.com/on-view-paris-essex/

·     The Gentlewoman Issue 19 SPR/SUM 28/02/19 

·     Some Ideas Magazine Issue 0 Winter 2018-19 

·      Newtide Magazine Malasia , May 2018 No710, P.112   

·      That's Not My Age 18/4/18 . Creative Women at Work:Paris Essex Interview with Paris Essex

·      Absolutely Home Magazine, March 2018.  Women in Design p34-5

·      House Beautiful Magazine. 8/3/18  IWD businesswomen  https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/g19158617/international-womens-day-design-businesswomen/

·      T Magazine Spain 6/3/18 The Designers of the Present. http://www.tmagazine.es/diseno/dia-internacional-de-la-mujer/2/

·      Keitodama magazine, Japan. Feb 2018 vol 177 https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4529057917

·      Cover Magazine. Issue 49 /Winter 2017. P43 http://shop.hali.com/issue/COVER049/winter-2017

·      CNN style. 22/12/17.  http://edition.cnn.com/style/article/festive-curios-for-design-lovers/index.html

·       A Shaded View on Fashion. Interview by Diane Pernet 21/12/17.  Interview

·       Cent Magazine 05/10/17.  http://centmagazine.co.uk/juxtaposed-stand-on-my-art

Sales:

Blankets are for sale or by commission. Each piece is individually made. Contact info@parisessex.com for information.

Paris Essex Online Storefront on 1st Dibs

Collaborations and consultancy:

Paris Essex has collaborated with different manufacturers and designers, including a hand crafted showpiece for Romance Was Born  "Kinda Couture'  A/W 2018-19 show in Paris, 4/7/18, now acquired by National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.

Paris Essex worked with Wolsey as design consultants and designing a capsule range of mens knits. Also created interactive, customisable digital knit designs for global fashion software company Unmade and acted as specialist advisor to Kniterate http://www.kniterate.com and designed a range of embroidered cushions for homeware company Kitsch Kitchen.