Backyard Denim
‘Where I Work’ is a celebration of Walthamstow’s creative community. Carmel King has been documenting artists and designers working within the borough for the past year.
A series of photographs will be shown alongside interviews by Stowed Away on the BBC Live Screen in the Town Square throughout the Art Trail which takes place from 3rd–18th June 2017. You can read the full interviews here…
Please introduce yourself and tell us where you are from…
My name is Reid and I’m originally from New Zealand. My family lived in the same house throughout my childhood and teens, so it was very stable and safe, but i was never forced to adapt to change. I mention that here because being a self-employed designer/maker is a constant series of challenges and changes.
After making denim jeans and bags at home as a teenager, I just went off to work in an office without any real thought about what I wanted to do. Looking back, everyone I knew just worked because they had to, in whatever job they could find, and I was the same. I worked for an accounting firm, then as an office manager for a motorcycle shop, before finally quitting that to go to fashion school.
Tell us about your work…
Most of my work now is making aprons. What I’m called Workwear for Workers. I want everything to be as tough as I can possibly make it, and to have a real purpose. After that, I try to make it look good. I love the materials I work with; denim, canvas, leather, copper and brass; because I think they can be all of those things. They get better with age and use.
Where and how did you learn your craft?
My father worked in a Levi’s jean factory as a cutter when I was a teenager, and I’d sometimes go there during the school holidays. He showed me how to make jeans at home when I was around 13 or 14. After that, there was a decade long period when I just worked in offices and didn’t make anything. The fashion school I finally found myself in was very focused on the practical areas of pattern-making and sewing, so really helped to build a great base of skills to start from.
Describe your workspace…
I’ve taken over the spare bedroom in our house, and converted it into a studio. I built a cutting table that folds back against the wall, so even though the space is small, it works quite well for one person. On a good day, the sun shines in the window in the afternoon, and it’s a great place to work. It has been a challenge for me too though, working at home. It can be quite isolating, and I miss sharing ideas and having colleagues around.
What inspires you?
The guys that built canvas pants and jeans back in the gold rush days, simply because people needed something really tough to wear. Other makers who have skills that seem unbelievable or even impossible. Like the people who carve a spoon out of a lump of wood, or can forge a knife from layers of steel. There’s something fascinating about the whole process to me.
Any future plans / projects you can talk to us about?
My wife and I are having a baby very soon, so that’s a new project! I’m not sure yet how family and working at home will fit together. I do know it’s going to be a massive change, and I’ll need to be a lot more focused and productive in the hours I do manage to carve out for Backyard Denim.
What do you enjoy about working / living in Walthamstow?
I feel really lucky to be close to a forest that I can escape to. Our dog, Daisy, insists on a decent walk every day, so I can’t ever become a total hermit! Central London can be loud and busy and overwhelming, so I’m happy to be close, but not too close. The cafe’s that have opened over the last few years have made Walthamstow a better place for me too. They’re a little oasis I can go to when the cabin fever kicks in. I can have a coffee and sort out some work online, like replying to emails. With Buhler & Co, Wynwood, Wood Street Coffee and Hucks, you get loads of variety and I love them all!
Describe your perfect Walthamstow day…
To answer that, I think I need to consider the future. I’d like to find a way to make Backyard Denim into an open, inclusive and creative space, where people, both young and old, who have a passion for really well made products, can get together. If I can work alongside a few other makers I admire, that would be amazing.
The day would definitely start and end with my family, sharing a meal and some down time, and ideally also getting out of the house!
