Hi, I'm Helena Powell, a textiles designer and student at Glasgow School of Art. I specialize in hand weaving and fabric development, focusing on 100% silk and zero-waste processes. I love creating pieces with strong drape and tactile quality, and I enjoy sharing the weaving process with visitors. Over the past years I've freelanced and interned across Scottish and English mills, including Skye Silks, Calyx Cotton, East Anglia Alpaca Mill and Stephen Walters. I balance studio practice with demonstration and sales roles, and I'm excited to push sustainable, craft-led production from concept to finished piece.…

Helena Powell

Hi, I'm Helena Powell, a textiles designer and student at Glasgow School of Art. I specialize in hand weaving and fabric development, focusing on 100% silk and zero-waste processes. I love creating pieces with strong drape and tactile quality, and I enjoy sharing the weaving process with visitors. Over the past years I've freelanced and interned across Scottish and English mills, including Skye Silks, Calyx Cotton, East Anglia Alpaca Mill and Stephen Walters. I balance studio practice with demonstration and sales roles, and I'm excited to push sustainable, craft-led production from concept to finished piece.…

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Helena Powell, a textiles designer and student at Glasgow School of Art. I specialize in hand weaving and fabric development, focusing on 100% silk and zero-waste processes. I love creating pieces with strong drape and tactile quality, and I enjoy sharing the weaving process with visitors.

Over the past years I’ve freelanced and interned across Scottish and English mills, including Skye Silks, Calyx Cotton, East Anglia Alpaca Mill and Stephen Walters. I balance studio practice with demonstration and sales roles, and I’m excited to push sustainable, craft-led production from concept to finished piece.

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Skills

Experience Level

Fashion Design
Intermediate

Work Experience

Hand Weaver Assistant at Skye Silks
December 1, 2022 - Present
Hand weave 100% silk scarves; maintain a twill structure and steady beat to showcase hand-dyed warps; operate under a zero-waste policy; provide visitors with demonstrations on countermarch looms and contribute to sales.
Hand Weaver at Calyx Cotton
May 1, 2022 - August 1, 2023
Freelance weaving service producing sample cotton cloth from hydroponically grown fibre; documented how yarn spin and sett affect outcomes; prepared process guidance to scale production; processed some of the cotton in terms of purning and spinning parts of the weft.
Intern at East Anglia Alpaca Mill
July 1, 2022 - Present
Two week work placement including induction into all parts of the wool processing mill; spun own yarn; gained understanding of how yarn properties change early in processing and how machinery and processes minimize waste.
Work Experience at Skye Weavers
August 1, 2022 - Present
One day for a tour and assisting with loom setup; helped warp using sectional warping and reused end cones from previous warps.
Weaver / Workshop Assistant at Skye Silks
September 1, 2022 - Present
For two weeks, prepared warps, threads and ensured looms were ready to weave; created a warp for personal practice and completed a sampler with a 4-shaft structure to explore warp proportion effects.
Design Team / Technical Support Assistant at Stephen Walters
June 1, 2023 - Present
Worked with the Design Team and Technical Support; digitalised parts of the archive spanning 300 years; assisted sales in pursuing zero-waste processing and prepared SS2 collections samples for customers.

Education

Textiles Design Student at Glasgow School of Art
January 11, 2030 - December 23, 2025

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Manufacturing, Education, Other

Skills

Experience Level

Fashion Design
Intermediate