Kate Toledo & Vayshalee Naran
Kate Toledo is a British subject now based between Dubai and Lisbon. Her main sources of inspiration lie in a combination of still-life and traditional intricate embroidery. Her tropical palette derives from her time in Brazil. Kate paints in large-scale, combining strong colour and bold subjects with an architectural eye for composition, making her practice both deeply artistic and design-driven.
Her Middle Eastern Collection, designed in the Middle East about the Middle East, is a series based on Islamic museum pieces from the 12th century. This scarf collection is printed in France and Italy on silk twill with a hand rolled border, a striking illustration of bold prints in trend and a homage to the process of translating past and present visual language of the region’s heritage.
One of Naran’s most potent designs is the bone collection, which was inspired by a single rib bone, the armour and cage of our hearts. It is a symbol of love and protection. Hand-crafted each bone bangle is fabricated in sterling silver and plated in white or black rhodium, pink, or yellow gold with a highly refined finish. This collection is stylistically ambiguous in form, which distracts from the raw and macabre idea of a literal bone. Ergonomically designed to fit comfortably when multiple pieces are worn like the rib bones that inspired them.