Worn By: Shelley Zetuni.
Second up in our 'Worn By' Series is Shelley Zetuni, an embroiderer and visible mender who goes under the name of ‘Sewing Smith’.
I first met Shelley when we both had Studios at The Hornsey Town Hall in Crouch End, me in the early days of M.Hulot and Shelley as a Milliner making bespoke hats and even dressing Royalty.
With Shelley’s pull towards both vintage and the artisan, Visible Mending came as a natural extension of this Millinery work, utilising Shelley’s keen eye for colour and her intricate needlework skills honed over the years. With the desire amongst many to repair and rewear clothing for as long as possible, Shelley’s new venture has garnered much support.
As someone who keeps garments for many years, if not a lifetime, and with a large part of M.Hulot being focused on natural veg tan leather, its irregular and often patinaed surfaces, it’s no wonder I was so drawn to Shelley’s work. Her celebration of imperfections, enhancing both the beauty and functions of a worn out textile, made her a great match. All the more perfect for Shelley’s enviable vintage wardrobe, natural sense of style and her wonderful grey curls!
Set within her North London home, Shelley’s studio is a colourful and cosy space brimming with wall to wall inspiration as well as tools, threads and yarns for her ongoing mending projects. It’s an ideal work space for Shelley’s repairs, which she undertakes for private clients as well as teaching classes from there on zoom. In addition to this she runs classes in-store for brands such as Toast and Brora as well as locally within craft-led spaces.
On entering Shelley’s home, I spied a well loved Loe Bag in Bottle Green slung over the chair echoing the green tones of her lush, plant filled living space. I purposefully choose some of our brighter bags for Shelley as well as some more traditional Satchel and Saddle shapes I knew would sit with her own personal and eclectic style.
Shelley wears the Ede Mini Bag in Conker, the Red Rye Satchel, the Hulot Pouch in Yellow, the Wye Saddle Bag in Conker and the Yellow Loe Bumbag.
A big thanks to Shelley for wearing M.Hulot so well and letting us explore and document her space!
Anna
Photography by Jon Aaron Green
