Louise Heighes: experimental leather art inspired by nature

With her background in textile design, having worked for many years for fashion companies such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel, leather artist Louise Heighes creates and designs experimental leather art which is soft and tactile.

Louise’s work is inspired by the flow and movement which she finds in the natural world. Be it a field of wild flowers or the blossom on a tree, she has always loved the way the shape of a single petal or flower can be repeated over again, creating a myriad of ever-changing new patterns.

She is interested in the way two surfaces can become one when intertwined, cut or woven together. The result often produces something entirely new that gives richness to a flat surface.

Here we share some of Louise Heighes 2023 collection..

Plumage

Inspired by the short, tightly packed feather of a bird, I have given this design a geometric feel. The way the one, single curved element has been repeated gives the pattern a beautiful rhythm. This design has been made with shiny and matte versions of the same leather woven together, each catching the light in a different way.

Feather

“I have always loved the subtle changes in the size and shape of the feathers that make up the wings of a bird. I wanted to play with this idea and make something more geometric in design than my other works.”

Grape Hyacinth

“I was inspired by the slightly eccentric shape of the Grape Hyacinth. The way it’s small circular layered petals look like sequins is a delight.”

Blossom

“One of the first signs of spring is the sudden appearance of an amazing mass of blossom. It always makes me feel happy. I wanted to re-create the feeling of this with a mass of simple shaped petals running across the leather. These petals can be grouped together with a leather branch to create a blossom tree or be scattered randomly across the design.”

Wave

“These pieces have been inspired by basket weaving. I love the way a simple pattern can be created in weaving that from a distance looks pretty uniform, but upon closer inspection each small element of the woven pattern is completely unique and slightly different from its neighbours.

I have recreated this idea using thousands of tiny pieces of leather woven together. Each one slightly different from the next and catching the light in a different way.”

For more information and to see the full collection please visit  louiseheighes.com

You can support Louise Heighes by following her creative journey on INSTAGRAM: @louise_heighes

READ ANOTHER SIMILAR STORY HERE.