Alpa Mistry, Woven Textiles; Photo: Dave Ashton 2008

Woven textile designer, Alpa Mistry, is exhibiting for the fist time at Origin this year, and is, in her own words, ‘incredibly excited’. Since setting up her own label six years ago, Alpa has moved on from just weaving scarves, to producing a range of hand woven fashion accessories, as well as cushions, hangings and throws which are sold at Liberty and the V&A.

Inspired by her heritage, Alpa regularly takes trips back to India and enjoys collecting Indian costumes and textiles. These bright colours form the foundation for her work, which can be identified by its imaginative use of texture and unusual colour combinations. Bold stripes make up the majority of her output, but it would be a mistake to think that Alpa’s work was in any way limited by this format. By hand-dying shiny silks and rougher woollen yarns, she experiments with different textures and colours on the loom, creating an original aesthetic which defines her work.

For Alpa, Origin really is the best platform to get your work seen, raise your profile and hopefully get a commission or two. The number and range of different people who attend the event only serve to reinforce this observation. In preparation for Origin she is planning to produce a whole new body of work, parts of which may include significantly larger pieces than she has made before, such as a range of dramatic wall hangings for different contexts. While Alpa is still in the early stages of this process, she is enjoying the freedom to experiment, although she does concede that the summer looks to be very busy indeed!