2019: What a year!

How is the end of 2019 here already?!

This year has been a hectic, award-winning and celebratory whirlwind - there are so many amazing memories from the last 12 months, we couldn’t possibly squeeze them all into one blog post… Read on as we list our highlights of the year, from GIANT lobsters, to seriously big birthday celebrations and the return of flipping delicious pieces from our archive. Let’s go!

“MISSHAPES, MISFITS, MISTAKES…”

 2019 saw us celebrate 20 years of irreverent, groundbreaking design, from humble magpie-esque beginnings making accessories from found objects to acquiring 236 Brick Lane, still home to our store, studio, and spur of the moment exhibition space. 

Enter Crafts Council and a vital partnership that brought about the curation of Misshapes: The Making of Tatty Devine, an exhibition through which we chart designs intrinsic to who we are today, measured against shifts in the social and political landscape of the last 20 years.

Think wishlist wonders, rare gems, paraphernalia from the early days and sketchbooks tracking designs from page to Perspex! Originally opening at CSM’s Lethaby Gallery, Kings Cross, we celebrated in style before waving our GIANT trapeze artists off to their next home: The Wilson, Cheltenham and currently Leicester Gallery, DMU.

Tap here for all future venues and here to get your hands on the MISSHAPES book: a brand new publication that explores the power of creativity, innovative British design, and female friendship via 352 glossy full-colour pages. From early leather cuffs and piano-print belts to ornate acrylic statement necklaces and super cool collaborations, how many pieces from your collection can you spot amongst the pages?

Our Giant Dinosaur Necklace returned from the archive in a very special Foil Fossil colourway, just for the Lethaby Gallery leg of Misshapes. Check that metallic shimmer, swoon!

OFF MENU!

This year saw three delicious limited edition treats on the Tatty Devine menu, delving into the archive to reimagine our much longed for Super Burger Necklace, as seen in our touring Misshapes exhibition. Each laser cut and hand layered whopper was adorned with a numbered edition tag in the shape of a piece of cheese. The best bit? There’s just a handful left… Take a bite now!

Zut alors! We baked up a storm for Bastille Day with the French Croissant Necklace, a sizeable pastry laser cut in luxurious buttery, marbled golden acrylic for that 'just baked' look that sold out within 24 hours… C’est bien! Next up? Root vegetables were given the Midas touch with the Golden Corn on the Cob Brooch and Necklace. Laser cut in sparkling gold glitter acrylic, this mouth-watering wonder was accessorised with a marbled green husk and a sparkling spray of stars.

WE LAUNCHED OUR CAMPAIGN FOR CREATIVITY!

Calling all makers! June saw us launch our Campaign For Creativity, in partnership with the Crafts Council: a project to champion the arts and raise awareness of its current plight within the education system. From digitally printed sustainably produced Tatty Devine X Teemill t-shirts to Make Your Future, a capsule collection of craft-themed jewellery, we gave YOU the chance to support Crafts Council in equipping schools in the UK with the necessary tools & craft skills to inspire and upskill future makers.

Our good friends at Graffiti Life even transformed the Creativity For Joy Necklace into a massive mural, projecting the missive, ‘MAKE YOUR FUTURE, FUND THE ARTS!’ onto Shoreditch’s bustling Ebor Street.

READY, GET SET, SAMPLE SALE!

Hundreds of you queued (some overnight!) for our annual Sample Sale, as we took over St. Hilda’s Community Centre with thousands of samples, one-offs and seconds… phew!

Thanks to everyone for heading down and making our day with treats, jokes and seriously impressive jewellery sourcing skills. Top marks all round!

WE DO!

June saw us whip up an extra special somethin’ somethin’ for Red Nose Day: Scarlett’s iconic ring from Four Weddings and a Funeral’s first nuptials! Take a peek at this very limited edition, SOLD OUT piece here.

OH MY, TATTY DEVINE X MOOMIN IS HERE!

With a hint of autumn in the air, we launched Tatty Devine X Moomin, our long awaited series of designs inspired by Tove Jansson’s much loved literary creation, with our signature laser cut twist! A handful of dedicated Moominvalley fans got their paws on Moomin manicures in our Seven Dials store, courtesy of celebrity manicurist, Lee Moore. Aww!

OUR SEVEN DIALS STORE TURNED 10... WITH A BANG!

We couldn’t toast 20 years of original art jewellery design without releasing a very special collection: Misshapes. Think cult classics from the archive, reimagined for 2019, including ornately etched, hand inked and Swarovski crystal studded Firework Display designs and ornately feathered mega Parakeets.

We even threw a mini Bonfire Night party to celebrate our Seven Dials store's 10th birthday, complete with sparklers, an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday and an exclusive colourway of the Firework Display Brooch... *SOB!*

SOCIAL MEDIA GURUS, US?

November saw us named joint winners of the Best Use of Social Media category at The Good Web Guide Awards AND we hit 95K followers on Instagram - hooray! Hear more from our Marketing and Event Executive Charlotte here...

ALL OF OUR AMAZING JEWELLERY!

 2019 has been an epic year for jewellery - we’ve ticked off a few outstanding #TattyRegrets, pushed the boundaries of jewellery design and used laser cut acrylic as a means through which we championed causes close to our heart: from STEM-inspired pieces in our ongoing Fawcett Society collection, to our Make your Future designs, our first-ever 100% recycled acrylic collection for WWF UK, and of course, our best selling EU and Me collection. 

Our laser cut love letters to Europe have been seen on politicians, celebrities and most importantly: YOU! From marches to protests, on stage at the opera and on TV: our European Necklace and EU Passport pieces have captured your imagination and we’re delighted to stand with you in our love for the EU.

(📸 - anna_patalong)

Click here to hear more about this collection and our relationship with Europe via our Managing Director and Co-Founder, Rosie Wolfenden. We even gave our original Brick Lane store shutter a makeover with a little help from our talented pals at Graffiti Life… Yep, we’re European alright!

Of course, we’ve also been super busy working away on all of our collections for 2020 - stay tuned for fresh designs, cutting edge collaborations and blooming great pieces that make you go, “WOW!”

 Here's a sneak peek from the set of our SS20 shoot... Don't worry, Abi - all will be revealed soon!

What a year it’s been and we couldn’t have done it without YOU. We’ll leave you with a gem from our Co-Founders, Rosie Wolfenden and Harriet Vine:

“We don’t see Tatty Devine as a job – for us, it’s a way of life, and we are so lucky that we get to share it together... We’re two sides of a coin!” 

WISHING YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you in 2020!

Team Tatty x

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