Helen Bird’s collection is a glorious mix of hand-made accessories, bags, wraps, cummerbunds, waistcoats and jewellery. All are made up with an assortment of contemporary fabric mixed with rare antique and hand-made braids, trims and beads.

The result is a unique patchwork of exquisitely crafted garments and accessories that are totally original and extremely wearable.

Describing herself as a costumier, rather than a fashion designer, Helen’s clothes and accessories convey a sense of history combined with a quirky modernity. Her love of mixing fabrics and colours into a unique patchwork has also resulted in her being asked to be a judge at the prestigious ‘12ème Carrefour Européen de Patchwork’ competition in 2006.

After a two year course at Leamington Spa College, Helen Bird decided to pursue her interest in antique textiles. In 1986 she set up her own antique stall, specializing in decorative fabric. Using her in-depth knowledge of fabric together with a great love of history, she decided to develop her own hand crafted collection of individual garments.

Helen’s first collection was launched at Liberty, London, at the Designers of the 90’s exhibition (February 1994). Liberty immediately bought her collection. In the following two years Helen took part in two London fashion weeks and had small collections in various shops in London Harrogate and Stratford upon Avon. During this period Elle magazine featured her work and through Hello magazine various celebrities including Susanne George and Gail Honicote were photographed wearing Helen’s clothes. One of Helen’s more interesting private customers was the Marquess of Bath, who commissioned three exclusive tunics, and then wore one on The Barrymore show on BBC 1.

Helen runs her business as a small cottage industry. Working closely with a few skilful seamstresses. Her pieces are sold mostly in the UK, Belgium and France. Unrestrained when expressing herself creatively, instinctive at taking old or time-honoured themes and reworking them, Helen believes that beautiful fabric tells a story, “It just works. Nothing too co-ordinated, nothing too soft.” Working now on capsule collections of intrinsically linked pieces that include, treasure ropes (knotted, shredded and embellished garlands) baroque halter-neck gillets and bags. Selling from home through organized exhibitions, and commissions, she also travels to France regularly; exhibiting at Mode et Tissue in Sainte Marie aux Mines, Alsace.

Helen’s work has recently been on show, along with other artists, in an exhibition titled ‘la Main dans le sac’, at Parc De Wesserling Musèe Textile, Alsace France.