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Threads of Time: Rediscovering Georgian Craft for Modern Design

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of attending an Afternoon Tea and Talk with Gemma Esvelt on Regency Fashion at the elegant Buxton Crescent. The setting itself was the perfect backdrop for a discussion about history, textiles, and the art of dress. What impressed me most was the way Gemma encouraged us to look closely at clothing as more than just fabric and stitches. Every seam, alteration, and thread tells a story — about the maker, the wearer, and the times in which they lived.

That visit sparked something for me. As a designer who spends hours sketching, sewing, and refining textiles for Silktopia, I came away with fresh eyes for the hidden language of clothes.

The Education of Dress

In the Georgian period, sewing was second nature. From childhood, people were taught not only how to stitch but also how to recognize fabrics, where they came from, and how they were made. This “material literacy” gave them an intimate awareness of their garments — an understanding that we’ve largely lost in the age of fast fashion.

Even women of the gentry, who might not sew their own gowns, were deeply connected to their dressmakers. Known as manua makers, these women worked by hand to create gowns that fit each client perfectly. The bond between maker and wearer could be surprisingly close — dressmakers often knew a client’s body more intimately than anyone else.

Design above is from the book British Textiles 1700 to the present, V & A; Printed textile naturalistic flowers in floral lace by William Kilburn, designer and Calico printer, Wallington Surrey 1792, Georgian era is from 1714 - 1837.

Recycling in the Georgian Era

One of the most fascinating insights from my research is how recycling and adaptation were at the heart of Georgian fashion. Fabric, not labour, was the most expensive part of a gown. Silk in particular was a luxury, so it was never wasted.

• Gowns were cut with extreme efficiency, often from rectangles of cloth in what we might now call zero waste design.

• Dresses passed down through social classes — aristocrats gifting to servants, who altered them for their own use.

• Second-hand clothing markets thrived, blurring the line between elite fashion and everyday wear.

• Garments were regularly remodelled — pleats tightened, sleeves reshaped, hems raised — to keep them fashionable and extend their lives.

Far from being “fast fashion,” Georgian dress was fashion that endured, reshaped and reimagined with every wearer.

What We’ve Lost — and What We Can Reclaim

Today, most of us can’t name the fibre our clothes are made from, let alone who stitched them. Industrialization has given us convenience but taken away connection. What we’ve lost is not just sewing skills, but also the awareness of where our clothes come from, and the intimacy of knowing the maker’s hand behind every stitch.

As I design new textiles for Silktopia, I want to revive that sense of connection, care, and craft.

Looking Ahead: Silktopia 2026

Inspired by these lessons, our 2026 collection will draw directly from Georgian textiles and Expect:

• Fabric-first design, celebrating the beauty and value of silk twill.

• Narrative fashion, where every silk twill scarf and textile tells a story — not only of beauty, but of heritage and connection.

Standing in Buxton Crescent, looking at the vibrant yellow gown from the 18th century, I realized how much these clothes still speak to us. They whisper of skill, patience, and creativity — values we at Silktopia want to carry forward. Fashion is not just about what we wear, but also about the stories stitched into the fabric.

And in 2026, we’ll be weaving those stories anew.