Meet our Newest Featured Brand: Tighe-Mearns-Smith

Tighe-Mearns-Smith's ‘Pauldron Jacket’

Made to order ‘Quilted Kaleidoscope Dress.’

Jessica Tighe and Kane Mearns-Smith are a London-based couple and artistic duo who specialise in textiles, fashion, illustration, animation, music and fine art. They are renowned for their extremely unique and innovative one-off pieces which are largely created from sustainable practices and materials. Since their brand’s conception in 2019, they have been featured in publications including but not limited to Harpers Bazaar, Man Repeller, Gay Times, and GMARO magazine as well as working alongside clients such as Dr.Death, Ed Solo, Sum Ting Wong from Ru Pauls Drag Race UK, and many more.

Tighe-Mearns-Smith met and began collaborating while studying at Kingston School of Art in 2017 and continued to work together after graduation to launch their brand Tighe-Mearns-Smith. Their artistic mission is built on the concept of Redemptionism which is a manifesto grounded on: self-realisation, sustainability and recycling, balancing Rationalism with Ontologism, utilising art as a platform for abstract discussion, Masculofemininity, semiotics, creating a bridge between the subconscious and the conscious, redeeming art from commodification, and the balance of craftsmanship and technology.

“We find a balance of creating new without the additional pressure for the continual manufacturing of products and supplies.”

Tighe-Mearns-Smith

Central to their work is the belief that the fast pace of the art and fashion industry is unhealthy for both the artist and environment, through this mentality they place resourcefulness as the top priority to their design. Tighe-Mearns-Smith treat art as a sustainable outlet; appropriating unwanted and discarded products and materials enables their work to become a vessel for positive environmental impact.

They are pioneers of the sustainable fashion industry. With each garment they create, the aim is always to get as close to 100% recycled and up-cycled as possible. The small percentage of components that are not directly recycled and up-cycled, for example zips and threads - Tighe-Mearns-Smith ensures that the products are sustainably created. These components must be created with a low energy and water consumption process without the use of hazardous chemicals and utilising materials from responsibly managed forests.

We are proud to announce that Tighe-Mearns-Smith is our first signed sustainable designer for our 2021 runway. To learn more about the brand and see their pieces, check out their website: www.tighe-mearns-smith.co.uk and their instagram @tighe_mearns_smith.