QEST Scholarship: Q+A with ADAM Director Robbie Kerr and Passementerie Artist Elizabeth Ashdown, featuring Interior Designer Kit Kemp

A year ago, ADAM Architecture was proud to sponsor London-based passementerie artist Elizabeth Ashdown as a QEST Scholar. The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) champions the UK’s craft sector, having awarded over £6 million to nearly 800 makers across 130 disciplines, providing vital funding for training, education and pathways to excellence. Elizabeth’s craft focuses on the intricate art of passementerie, the art of making elaborate trimmings of applied braid, and through her QEST Scholarship she is honing her off-loom skills and expanding her expertise with bespoke training, online courses and international study visits.

In this Q&A, ADAM partner Robbie Kerr and Elizabeth reflect on her journey as a QEST scholar and explore the evolving traditions and innovations of passementerie. Joining the conversation is renowned interior designer Kit Kemp of Kit Kemp Shop, who shares insights into their collaboration and the role of craft in contemporary design.

To begin, let’s explore your journey into passementerie. How did you first discover this craft, and what inspired you to make it your career?

I have always loved colour, and I have always loved making things, especially making anything with textiles. At university, I studied woven textile design, but I came to passementerie by chance. My university training was focused on designing more conventional textiles, such as fabrics for fashion and furnishings. I enjoyed this type of work; however, I never felt that it was completely me. Once I tried passementerie weaving, I was immediately hooked because I felt that I could be considerably more creative with this type of weaving than I could be with weaving other types of fabrics. As there was nowhere to learn how to make passementerie, I had to teach myself through trial and error.

Over the past year, how has the QEST Scholarship influenced your practice, and what new skills or experiences have you gained?

My QEST scholarship has been the most wonderful, transformative and enriching experience. My scholarship has enabled me to refine and elevate my craftsmanship in passementerie, ensuring that these heritage, endangered skills remain vibrant and relevant today. There are only four hand passementerie makers still working in the UK, and my craft is at a significant risk of becoming critically endangered. The majority of these makers are approaching retirement and because of this there is an urgent need to pass on their skills and knowledge before it is lost forever. My scholarship has equipped me with these vital skills.

You received training from master craftspeople, Brian Turner, and Clare Hedges. What lessons did you learn from these one-on-one sessions?

My scholarship was an incredible experience because it enabled me to spend a concentrated amount of time learning advanced techniques and skills one-on-one. My tutors were so generous with their knowledge, which meant that I was able to learn so much more than I had originally thought possible. My QEST scholarship enabled me to learn off-loom passementerie skills including cord spinning, gimp making and advanced tassel making experiences. I was able to perfect and hone my skills in these areas because I was able to spend so much time one-on-one with Clare, Brian and Bruce (Brian's assistant and cord spinner).

Part of your scholarship took you to Paris, including visits to Declercq Passementiers and Passementerie Verrier. How did these experiences broaden your perspective on passementerie as a craft? And how does this inform the way you now work to invent within this tradition?

Archives containing passementerie are very rare as the craft is so badly documented and served from a collections point of view. There are very few passementerie resources in the UK (and abroad), and the resources available tend to always show the same designs. Historically, France has a very different approach to passementerie than the rest of the world, and still today French passementeries make some of the most exquisite examples of the craft. Very little passementerie has been digitised in the collections that are available, so the only way to study designs is to visit in person. In Paris, I was able to see and study hundreds of passementerie designs from a range of eras, most of which contained designs and ways of making that I had never seen before, including methods of construction that haven't been used for decades. Seeing these designs up close really opened my eyes to what is possible in passementerie, and a lot of this archival research fed into my recent collaboration with Samuel & Sons.

As the number of passementerie artists in the UK is limited, what are your plans to continue this tradition? Has the QEST training allowed you to preserve and innovate within this craft?

Crafts has categorised handmade passementerie as an “endangered” craft in the UK (there are rumours that it will be relisted as “critically endangered” in the next issue of Red List of Endangered Crafts) because there are serious concerns about the viability of the craft in the UK. However, even though the craft is endangered, there is a strong commercial market for contemporary passementerie, especially in North America, UK and Europe. In addition, there is also a strong market of people wanting to learn how to make passementerie.

My ethos is not only to preserve these traditional techniques, but also to adapt and innovate, bringing passementerie into contemporary design spaces where its beauty and craftsmanship can be celebrated. By elevating the visibility of passementerie and demonstrating its relevance in today's world, I believe that the craft can be revitalised, ensuring its survival for years to come.

Beyond the training itself, QEST offers a unique community of skilled craftspeople. What has it been like to be part of this network, and have any exciting collaborations come from these connections?

The support and opportunities that QEST have provided (aside from my scholarship training) have been exceptional. I was delighted to be selected to showcase my work at Decorex, which enabled me to connect with such a large audience of professionals working in interior design. Later this month, I will be showing at Collect with QEST, which is a phenomenal opportunity. Both opportunities have allowed me to present my work in new and innovative ways, pushing the boundaries of traditional craftsmanship.

Through this scholarship, Libby had the opportunity to meet and work with Interior Designer Kit Kemp from Kit Kemp Shop.

Kit, what initially captured your interest in Elizabeth’s work, and what inspired you to commission pieces from her for the Kit Kemp Shop?

Country Homes & Interiors magazine invited me to collaborate with them for their “Best of British” issue, with a special feature in collaboration with QEST, knowing that I have previously been and am a supporter of QEST scholars. The aim of the collaboration was to highlight up-and-coming talent and showcase endangered craft, and Elizabeth Ashdown, a renowned maker celebrated for her dedication to the craft of passementerie, was a perfect match. As Elizabeth is one of only a few hand passementerie artists working in the UK today, I wanted to support her meticulous skills and craftsmanship.

At our Design Studio, we believe that the devil is in the detail and having seen Elizabeth’s bright use of colour first-hand, we commissioned her to create an exclusive design for Shop Kit Kemp. Together, we’ve designed a collection of napkin ring holders that embody the essence of artistry and functionality, and each piece reflects a harmonious blend of Elizabeth’s meticulous craftsmanship with our playful and colourful aesthetic.

From your perspective, how does bringing traditional crafts like passementerie into modern interior design influence your work?

Passementerie can make an interior look light and intriguing. It ensures the eye does not take in all the details the first time and requires you to come back and look again. Details are especially beautiful when made by hand as it has the maker’s touch and personality, which is often lost with mass production. We say that every room should have the 5 C’s, colour, comfort, character, craft and curation and Elizabeth’s passementerie truly embodies this spirit.

Do you feel these collaborations play a role in preserving endangered crafts like Elizabeth’s?

Elizabeth’s expertise shines through in her skilful fusion of rich textures and vibrant colours, transforming simple materials like wool into delightful works of art. By collaborating with Elizabeth, we not only honour the traditions of passementerie but also breathe new life into it. When things are made by loving hands, you can make the same piece over and over, but each time, the end result has its own personality. Preserving and modernising unique, artisanal crafts like passementerie is so important.

QEST is an exceptional organisation with a 34-year legacy of supporting an extraordinary range of individuals who uphold the highest standards in their disciplines, the enduring value of these crafts and the inspiration they bring - a standard exemplified by Libby. Libby’s experience as a QEST Scholar highlights the importance of preserving endangered crafts like passementerie while reimagining them for contemporary use. Collaborations, such as Libby’s work with Kit Kemp, demonstrate how traditional techniques can evolve and thrive in modern design, ensuring these skills remain relevant and celebrated.

At ADAM Architecture, craftsmanship is integral to our design approach. We recognise the value of traditional techniques while embracing the need to evolve and adapt them for contemporary use. In a world where many crafts are at risk of being lost, we see it as our responsibility to help preserve these skills, finding ways to broaden their relevance and ensure their continuity in both architecture and design. By following our core interests and drawing inspiration from diverse sources, we aim to enrich our designs and celebrate the artistry that strengthens them.