TEXTILE DESIGNER
Ophelia Dos Santos is a Welsh textile designer based in Cardiff. Specialising in hand embroidery – she refreshes and repairs preloved clothing. Through Ophelia’s projects, she hopes to inspire environmental and social change by encouraging people to think about how we buy, re-use and throw away fashion. In provoking critical thinking of our shopping habits, community and skill sharing are at the core of her artistic practice.
“MY RELATIONSHIP WITH CARDIFF AND ITS CREATIVE COMMUNITY HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST YEAR. AS A YOUNG CREATIVE I HAD ALWAYS SET MY SIGHTS ON LEAVING THE CITY TO PURSUE MY CAREER, FOR CITIES MORE RENOWNED FOR FASHION SUCH AS LONDON. I HADN’T REALISED THAT CARDIFF HAS SUCH A HUGE CREATIVE COMMUNITY THAT I MIGHT NOT HAVE FOUND IF I WASN’T SO ACTIVE ONLINE. IN RECENT MONTHS, ONLINE COMMUNICATION HAS ALLOWED ME TO COLLABORATE WITH WELSH ARTISTS, GROW AND ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY. LEAVING WALES TO SEEK BETTER OPPORTUNITIES MAY BE UNNECESSARY AS WE ENTER A NEW DIGITAL WORLD. I WOULD LOVE FOR MORE WELSH CREATIVES TO SHARE MY NEW PERSPECTIVE OF WALES, TO CELEBRATE OUR RICH AND VIBRANT CULTURE. THROUGH MY STORY I HOPE TO PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF WELSH CREATIVES CONSIDERING A CAREER IN WALES, TO SHOW THAT IT IS POSSIBLE.”
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