Fabric of the City at The Cass London Metropolitan University

It might not sound as though the long history of 17th century fabrics and 21st century innovations have much in common, but The Cass, London Metropolitan University is here to prove that theory wrong with a brand new exhibition, Fabric of the City. 
BA Textile Design course leader and curator, Gina Pierce, has invited 14 leading East London-based textile and fashion designers to bring together fabrics, designer clothes and original work celebrating the rich heritage of the Huguenots silk weavers who arrived in Spitalfields and turned it into a leading textile centre during the 17th Century. And celebrate they did. 
Between 1670 and 1710, up to 50,000 Huguenots fled to the UK - and to Spitalfields especially - bringing with them their exceptional silk weaving skills and transforming the area, already rich in silk weaving, into a leading fashion production centre for the British upper class. 
200 years later and to commemorate their achievements designers including CuteCircuit whose clothes have been worn by pop-star Katy Perry and vibrant new designers Jane Bowler, House of Flora and Alison Willoughby are bringing fresh innovations inspired by the materials and techniques used at the time. 
Inspired by the past, designer Rebecca Hoyes is presenting a new fabric, which could be used for either interior decorating or fashion (she was previously the furnishings designer for Habitat) alongside the curator of the exhibition, Gina Pierce's rug, woven in Nepal and based on the reverse side of the Huguenots' Spitalfields Silks, turning itself into an interpretation of the Huguenot's weaving techniques. 
Alongside the innovative textiles is the highlight of the exhibition by designer CuteCircuit: the K-Dress. This is aready-to-wear version of the bespoke CuteCircuit creation worn by Katy Perry to the 2010 Met Gala. The Shoreditch-based design studio creates haute couture clothing with micro-electronics embedded into the fabrics to create revolutionary new design and interactive clothes (or wearable technology) and the K-Dress, with its delicate pleated silk and micro-lighting smart technology, change colour by iPhone App. 
Curator Gina Pierce said: “It’s surprising how few people have heard of the Huguenots, as their influence on craft and design was incredibly widespread, with the legacy of the weavers in Spitalfields having a lasting effect on the local textile industry. This exhibition highlights the creativity of designers who still thrive in the city, continuing the tradition of working with fabric and fashion in the Spitalfields area.’’