Where to Start Sewing for Beginners When it comes to sewing for beginners, where to start with your sewing kit can often get overlooked. Needles? Check. Threads? Check. Ready to go? Not just yet! There’s a whole array of other useful things you should have in your beginner’s sewing kit from day one, allowing you to breeze through your first craft […]
Whether you have embraced the unicorn trend or fled from it, one thing is for certain…unicorns are going nowhere! Especially if our Instagram feeds are anything to go by. What is the unicorn trend? From Starbuck’s infamous Unicorn Frappuccino, to the thousands of unicorn make up tutorials flooding YouTube, knowing how to be a unicorn […]
Types of Applique What is Applique? Whether you’re a seasoned fashionista or an experimental designer, the art of applique is sure to come up in your textile practice. Applique essentially means applying one piece of fabric to another – usually shapes or designs on top of a fabric background – and it can be a […]
What is Neoprene? You’ve probably come across Neoprene before without even realising. But what is Neoprene? Neoprene was the first ever successful synthetic rubber created, dating back to 1930. It can be found on tires, wetsuits, hoses, and as well as being a particularly useful material its now also made its way onto high end […]
The artist Svetlana Petrova (who has recently joined Contrado community) is the artist behind the infamous Fat Cat Art. She has taken her love of cats to the next level – by adding her ginger tabby Zarathustra (yes, that’s the actual name of her cat) to some of the world’s greatest artworks. Svetlana then went […]
What is microfibre? You’ve seen it everywhere; from mops to furniture, sportswear to towels – but what is microfibre, exactly? And what makes it so versatile? ‘Microfibre’ refers to a synthetic fibre which is extremely thin, even slimmer than a strand of silk (which is about a fifth of the diameter of a human hair). […]
Do you want to discover new and exciting artistic talent? The Contrado online artists are here, ready to shake up your world with incredible creativity and must-have products. When we launched the market place, the Contrado online artists were few but fabulous. Fast forward a few months and the platform has grown from strength to […]
At Contrado we love combining art and design with fashion and textiles to produce unique products, created through our processes of digital printing, sewing and embroidering. Together with our talented artists we bring creativity and design work to traditional fabrics and textiles, making new and exciting pieces through our use of materials. Artist Joan Miró […]
Fashion Week is not even over, and yet the trends for SS18 are slowly but surely emerging into the fashion and design world. From the catwalks of London, Paris, New York and Milan, trends, colours, fabrics, and textures are consistently being seen, showing the world that these are what we will be incorporating into our […]
What is a neck warmer? If you’re a camping or hiking fanatic, you may have already heard of a neck warmer, neck gaiter or tube scarf. An elasticated tube-shaped piece of material which is amazingly versatile and often used during outdoor excursions or sports. There are endless ways how to wear a neck warmer. This […]