i see you, Gwen

A few months ago I visited the National Portrait Gallery for the first time. It’s not a huge gallery, but I spent hours wandering the rooms. There is something about a painted portrait that captures artist and subject in a way that becomes more than just an image.

Always a sucker for an art gallery shop, I was ecstatic to discover it was full of mostly books.  There was one that jumped out to me immediately - “NOW YOU SEE US” - a beautiful book that chronicles the stories and struggles of female artists in Europe from the 18th to early 20th centuries. The cover is a self portrait of Gwen John gazing defiantly from the canvas. I wondered - was she staring defiantly at herself whilst painting the portrait? Daring herself to capture this expression for the world? I knew I wanted to use her face on a garment somehow.

I then visited The Johnston Collection's "Inspired by Women" exhibition, and saw all these beautiful pieces that had been hand made by women over the centuries. Painstakingly embroided cloth that reflected the skill, imagination, and artistry of the women that created them. Common to both the book and this exhibition was the idea that the art created by these women was somehow "less than". Labelled as craft or a hobby, these pieces were generally not considered serious contributions to the history of human creative endeavour.

MEMENTO means “remember” in Latin. The MEMENTO collection is about remembering these women and the incredible artworks they created. Presenting them as they wanted to be remembered, and surrounding them with their amazing artworks. In wearing a MEMENTO dress you can honour their memory and say yes, I see you.