Patchwork Object

Items

• Patch by Joanna Clare
  On the corner of Bank Street in Newquay, Cornwall stands an old building, now housing a branch of Costa Coffee. The windows tell an earlier story. The stained glass motif repeated on several windows hints at the earlier life of the building. It was the shop belonging to my great great grandmother, Florence Ada Hawke, who was known as Madame Hawke, and whose business logo displays M H within a circular garlanded motif. The shop sold high-end ladies fashion knit-wear, invented and designed by Florence during the early part of the 20th century. Florence (Madame Hawke) was a local celebrity of her day, a pioneer of ladies fashions using fine wool and silk machine-knitted fabrics and her own designs. She developed her idea of using techniques previously seen only in knitted stocking manufacture to make strips of fabric which could be made into smart ladies’ suits, coats, dresses etc. and began in her front room. She was widowed young, and had several children, so she used determination and hard work to build her business up, eventually opening a shop, then more shops, then a large factory which employed hundreds of people. At its height, the business was supplying Debenhams and was patronised by royal visitors to Newquay but broke up in later years. Florence died at the age of 75 in 1936, and has been largely forgotten about, along with her contribution to women’s fashion, to the textile industry and to the role of women in creative industries. My embroidered piece references the stained glass of Madame Hawke’s shop and is my tribute to her courage, determination and creative spirit. I am in the process of further researching her life and work and hope to be able to shine a light on her and her achievements for future generations.