Shelley Zetuni is the creative force behind Sewingsmith.

Having trained as a couture milliner with Mrs Rose Cory, milliner to the late Queen Mother, I set up and ran my own hat making studio within the iconic Hornsey Town Hall in North London, where I was lucky enough to include royalty amongst my client list. During this time however I was becoming increasingly alarmed by the impact that the fashion industry has on the planet and I began to feel a responsibility to operate in a more sustainable way. During the uncertainty of the C19 pandemic, I, like so many others found solace in the art of crafting and hoping to offer a creative and meaningful diversion, I drew on a lifetimes worth of knowledge of cutting, blocking, dyeing, altering and embroidering and put all of this textile know-how together and launched Sewingsmith.

The essence of my approach to mending clothing is rooted in the Japanese art of Kintsugi, the art of repair, which translates as "golden joinery”. This exquisite technique not only restores the fractured pieces to their former glory but also elevates them. It doesn’t try to hide the cracks, Kintsugi highlights and celebrates them, turning the flaws into a beautiful feature. By applying an understanding of colour and pattern, I aim to delicately and sensitively restore clothing drawing on this concept and enhance the value of clothes treating them as treasured items with stories to tell. My practice is not only functional restoration, but hopefully also a testament to natural beauty and to the wear and tear of a well-loved garment. I have always been passionate about textiles, and particularly the life and legacy of loved clothing and it is deeply satisfying that work these days for me revolves around intricate restoration, a homage to the past and a nod to the future.

If you would like to come to a class and learn how to mend your clothes, or you if you would like to collaborate with me on a creative project then please fill out either the form at the bottom of the classes page or the form on the contact page.

If you would like to see some examples of my previous work, click here.