Living Colour Silks
Kenneth Shapley photographs the world so you can wear it. He specialises in the micro world and uses an Olympus E450 with a Zuiko 35mm lens. Any image can be blended with any other so the sky is the limit with creating fresh new colours from your favorite aspects of nature. Shop
Background
It all started with his 3 month exhibition at The Scottish Storytelling Centre to show his mirror image photography which reveals hidden
faces in the natural world; The Half Seen World as he calls it. Kenneth needed a semitransparent image to hang from the ceiling and ended up printing digitally onto silk. He loved the process so much that for the next few years Ken spent time capturing the light of the world way down at the micro level and digitally blending the elements into beautiful designs for scarfs, shawls and other clothing. His Living Colour Silk collection is now featured on the Scottish Textiles website
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faces in the natural world; The Half Seen World as he calls it. Kenneth needed a semitransparent image to hang from the ceiling and ended up printing digitally onto silk. He loved the process so much that for the next few years Ken spent time capturing the light of the world way down at the micro level and digitally blending the elements into beautiful designs for scarfs, shawls and other clothing. His Living Colour Silk collection is now featured on the Scottish Textiles website
BUY NOW
The Creative Process
The colours in Kenneth Shapley designs are all magical blends of sunlight interacting with the the elements. Kenneth Shapley has created his own range of scarfs shawls and "gem stone healing silks" as well as bespoke digitally printed fabrics for dress makers. Every scarf and shawl you see here has it's own unique story and are printed upon demand. He takes all the photographs himself and now has over 3000 designs in his " Digital Alchemy Database".
To give you an example, Kenneth Shapley wanted to create a red of reds by digital fusion, so mixed sunlight through rose petals with amber, soft fire and glorious chrysanthemums finnished off with virtually transparent layers of ruby light and gold. For a unique blue he may fuse several dawn skies faded according to magic square ratios mixed with the depths of a sapphire, king fisher feathers and enchanting twighlights. Designs can take up to 60 hours to create once Kenneth has taken the photographs.
To give you an example, Kenneth Shapley wanted to create a red of reds by digital fusion, so mixed sunlight through rose petals with amber, soft fire and glorious chrysanthemums finnished off with virtually transparent layers of ruby light and gold. For a unique blue he may fuse several dawn skies faded according to magic square ratios mixed with the depths of a sapphire, king fisher feathers and enchanting twighlights. Designs can take up to 60 hours to create once Kenneth has taken the photographs.
This image is about step 15 in the creation process for the shawl on the right, which is printed on silk jersey. The garment really changes colour with the light and feels very alive. The design was achieved by mirror imaging the veins on the rose petal then layering various transparencies of fire/amber/gold and ruby onto the image. BUY NOW
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This then forms the background design and 30 or so other designs are then layered on top of this. Excluding the photographic work about 30 hours of design time went into this creation.
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This 180cm x 70cm shawl design is made up entirely of gemstones probably over a million pounds worth!
Order a bespoke piece
Kenneth Shapley takes commissions for one off fabrics and also sells any design on a good range of materials for dress makers. He currently has over 3000 designs to suit all tastes. All the digitally printed fabrics are prewashed, preshrunk and fully dry cleanable. He has special selection called Healing Silks which are created using sunlight shining through Reiki charged crystals and gemstones. Ideal for therapists to use as a wrap to lay over clients or for their own power shawl.
We are all feeling the pinch a bit at the moment so Kenneth makes it possible to buy exclusive designer wear that is not mass produced at affordable prices by selling directly to his customers. High end bespoke fashions then become available to all and better still you can buy a few meters at £85 a meter and make your own garments out of a one off fabric for under £200.
Please allow three weeks for custom creations. Wearing a Kenneth Shapley design feels and looks magical and causes a wow when you tell the story behind the design.
Contact Kenneth Shapley
We are all feeling the pinch a bit at the moment so Kenneth makes it possible to buy exclusive designer wear that is not mass produced at affordable prices by selling directly to his customers. High end bespoke fashions then become available to all and better still you can buy a few meters at £85 a meter and make your own garments out of a one off fabric for under £200.
Please allow three weeks for custom creations. Wearing a Kenneth Shapley design feels and looks magical and causes a wow when you tell the story behind the design.
Contact Kenneth Shapley
Mio wears Kenneth Shapley
Mio Shapley is Kenneth Shapley's beloved wife. Mio is a storyteller and harpist. Here she wears 'Roses in the Wind', a silk scarf printed with a unique visual creation from the lens of her husband. She plays regularly at The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, setting a delightful ambience for their award winning afternon teas. Thanks to the expert guidance of her teacher Iain Hood she has also had engagements aboard The Royal Yacht Britannia and and many wedding ceremonies at some of Scotlands premier venues.