Join us in the culturally-vibrant seaside town of Brighton on England’s south coast for a nine-day retreat with artist and fashion designer Christine Mayer.  An early pioneer of upcycling - she made her name upcycling German army jackets and transforming them into coveted, fashionable garments - Christine also trained in draping, classical Japanese three-dimensional pattern making. 

She brings her knowledge and skills to this retreat which incorporates both draping and upcycling. To start the week, Christine will teach you to create one of her patterns using the Japanese draping technique. Following her lead, you'll begin by making the pattern from Calico directly on the dress form before creating the finished item of clothing using vintage garments and fabrics. This fresh and liberating method has more in common with sculpting than dressmaking. 

Christine will also show you how you can transform tired, old garments or favourite textiles into desirable items of clothing.   Working on the dressform you’ll learn ‘freestyle’ upcycling using a range of techniques including pin-tucks, darts, top stitching, painting and embroidery.   Making clothes in this exciting way brings new possibilities and allows you to create original items of clothing that fit you like a second skin and express your personal style. 

We’ll stay at The Artist Residence, a charming Georgian townhouse hotel, overlooking Regency Square and the sea beyond. The daily workshops with Christine take place a ten minute walk away in the Regency Townhouse, a fabulous Grade 1 listed terrace built in the 1820s around Brunswick Square, one of the most beautiful in Brighton.  All the equipment you’ll need will be provided.

You’ll love Brighton’s boho atmosphere, its artsy scene and interesting independent shops including many vintage boutiques and bazaars. You can shop for treasures to use in your projects or bring some recycled garments, fabrics, old table cloth or quilts with you to work on during the week. Almost any item can be upcycled and you’ll soon understand the principles of working three-dimensionally and allow your garments to evolve.

With three dinners included you’ll be free to explore Brighton’s cosmopolitan cuisine and abundant pavement cafés. Our final dinner will be taken in a 16th century inn in picturesque Rye which we will visit on the final day. With its narrow cobbled streets and timber-framed buildings this historic town is home to legendary drapers Merchant and Mills. You’ll meet founder Carolyn Denham and her team and have plenty of time to browse and buy from their extensive range of fabrics, tools, notions and haberdashery items. Then it’s back to Brighton for the final night of our retreat.