The window installation, All Around My Hat, is a collaboration between TCDT and Lock & Co. Hatters, bringing together work from several recent specialist workshops. The concept was designed by TCDT Trustee, curator and designer Simon Costin, incorporating Lock & Co. Panama hats.
- Jewellery & Metalwork: At The Goldsmiths’ Centre, students worked with award-winning Tomiko Ravn to create enamelled daffodils and insects. In separate workshops, expert jeweller Paul Ravn guided students in crafting silver hatpins and copper snowdrops, introducing traditional techniques such as sawing, soldering, and annealing.
- Textiles & Trimmings: Under the guidance of embroidery artist Lucy Newman, students created highly detailed stumpwork embroidery flowers and insects. Renowned designer Wendy Cushing led sessions in passementerie, where students produced decorative tassels and trimmings, while embroidered butterflies were crafted by students at a workshop with Royal Warrant holder Hand & Lock.
- Gilding: The gilded motifs, embellished with 23-carat gold leaf, were produced by students during a workshop run by The Royal Collection Trust.
- Calligraphy: The “chorus” of All Around My Hat was created by Jenny Collier of London Scribes. Jenny recently led a TCDT calligraphy workshop at Cockpit Arts, Bloomsbury.
Together, these works create a layered and visually rich display, celebrating traditional craftsmanship and demonstrating how historic skills can be reimagined in a contemporary context.
To celebrate the collaboration, Lock & Co. will generously host an evening reception for 60 guests, during which Managing Director Ben Dalrymple will present the TCDT Annual Achievement Prize.
About The Creative Dimension Trust
The Creative Dimension Trust (TCDT) offers workshops designed to equip talented young people with the skills and confidence to pursue careers where core hand skills – such as manual dexterity, draftsmanship, and the ability to understand and reconstruct three-dimensional structures – are essential.
Courses are free of charge for all successful applicants, with recruitment conducted directly through schools in areas of social and economic deprivation or geographic isolation. TCDT aims for 80% of participants to come from underserved backgrounds.
Skills are taught by craft specialists who are acknowledged leaders in their fields. These are not children’s art classes; rather, they are opportunities to learn, experiment, build confidence, draw inspiration from top professionals, and explore potential career paths. Students leave with a clearer understanding of what is possible and how to achieve it.
Support Our Work
TCDT is reliant on donations and we are continuously fundraising to ensure we can continue to offer FREE tuition and materials to our students. If you are able to donate, your help would be very welcome. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to shaping future careers together.
