Maria Leith

Discovering a newfound appreciation for the relationship of land and sea during her placement year in Whitstable, Maria’s designs have been inspired by the beauty and charm of Britain’s Harbours and the natural appeal of our spectacular coastlines.



In the current global climate where our mental and physical wellbeing is being rigorously put to the test, the colour palette for Maria’s collection of fabrics has been consciously considered through colour theory research into the benefit of the colour blue upon our mental health. It is known to have a calming meditative effect capable of uplifting the soul.



Taken from personal experience, Maria has designed her collection for a bereavement getaway to create a peaceful and relaxing environment to help with the healing process. She has produced a series of designs that play with the subtle colour transitions from light to dark within the woven pieces to reflect the light that sits at the end of the tunnel within the journey of grief.



Exploring further, for her dissertation Maria carried out research into how the textile industry is partly responsible for the pollution of our oceans and shores due to the production of micro-plastic fibres, which are impacting our ecosystems affecting both marine life and human health. Mindful of this major global concern, Maria’s collection has been created to be environmentally friendly. The choice of yarns and the stages of their colour production have been integral to her design process. The collection includes 100% Supima Cotton and handspun organic seaweed yarn that has been made from 100% pure seaweed. This enables the collection to stand as a vegan series of designs created using only sustainable, renewable and biodegradable fibres.