Marie Josette is a collaborative effort in which Marie Payne, dyer and weaver, provides the original handwoven fabrics for Josette Luyckx to design and construct her original one-of-a-kind wearable art pieces.

Both colour selection and weave structure must be determined before Marie can physically begin work on a new fabric. She spends time exploring new colour ways, designing the weave structure, and sampling with the desired yarns. Once Marie has achieved her vision, she begins dyeing the necessary yarns. When the dyeing is complete, the loom is then dressed and the weaving begins. The complexity of the weave structure and the yarns used determine the time it will take to weave off the fabric, which could be 5 to 10 yards in length. When the weaving is complete, the fabric is washed, pressed and then passed to Josette.

Josette’s inspiration comes from the fabric itself, which dictates the finished look. She prefers to live with a new fabric for a while before designing a jacket style. During this time, she will source out what fashion designers — both internationally and locally — are doing in their latest and past collections. Other sources will include historical costumes, designers from the first half of the 20th century, and ethnic clothing.

Josette will then sketch possible designs, re-defining them until the drawing sings out to her. At that point she plans the pattern for the jacket, which is cut from the hand woven fabric. The jackets are built using silk duppioni, with bias binding everything together.

Depending on the design of the jacket, embellishment may play a role in the finished look. These can take the form of beading, hand-tatting, ribbon work, machine quilting, fringing and a host of other techniques. Closures are extensively sourced out to give the new piece the finishing touch. Josette can easily put in a hundred hours creating an embellishment and doing all the finishing hand work.


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