Meet the Maker

London-based Romor Designs was formed in the autumn of 2015 by Rob Jones, a passionate Japanese textiles artist and tutor.

Having discovered Shibori, the ancient Japanese art of resist dyeing, at West Dean college, Rob went on to study in Japan under indigo master, Bryan Whitehead.

In 2018, Rob returned to visit his sensei in Japan to expand his Japanese textiles knowledge and immerse himself in Japanese textiles. He made a pilgrimage to Ise in the South West, home of Katagami stencilling and to meet masters of the arts of Katagami and indigo dyeing.

Rob exhibits at MADE London and MADE Brighton and Handmade in Highgate and is a Short course tutor at West Dean College where he can share his passion for Japanese textiles.

Rob works with Shibori resist, Katagami stencilling, Sashiko embroidery, Boro mending and Kogin counted thread Sashiko.

Rob’s passion is in finding the new in the old, building on the tradition and centuries of skill that shibori has behind it. He believes in taking work in new directions by combining techniques and inventing his own forms.

A core component of Rob’s work is his love of colour and pattern, which he brings to light in his colour saturated and complex embroidery work. Traditional patterns are broken and reassembled to produce new and original forms.

Rob has a keen eye for detail and only selects the best material from which to make finished pieces. Every piece is assembled with care to ensure a beautiful and unique item that will last.

To this end Rob’s work focusses on providing the structure to contain the organic nature of the dyes and processes he uses and carefully selecting those which will form the most compelling pieces.

Rob starts each day with a meditation to clear his mind and help him to focus on the tasks ahead. Every day is different and unique, much like the work he creates.

Watch Rob Jones of Romor Designs stitch and then dye a Shibori cushion using Japanese indigo. Video courtesy of Amanda Stockley.

Combining the ancient with the modern

In my work I can see the potential in reworking traditional forms into new designs. This is one of the most exciting things about working with Japanese textiles crafts, there are so many variations. This allows me to create beautiful and unique pieces that will stand the test of time

I combine different learned disciplines together to construct new textiles and play with pattern. Traditional Japanese techniques are dissected and reassembled, transforming ancient designs into new forms.

I love to invent my own patterns, whether with resist and indigo dye or as surface designs using Japanese embroidery techniques and coloured threads.

Part of my process (both in my own work and with my teaching practice) is to painstakingly research and practice classic patterns until I am confident I can use the techniques well. I then bend and reshape the technique into new forms, inventing fresh patterns and creating interesting and complicated textiles.

With my Kogin embroidery, I love to invent new motif and repeating patterns with a key feature being no repeats in colour in any row, column or diagonal. This means I get to use the maximum number of thread colours!

I am passionate about sharing my skills and knowledge and inspiring others to take up and find their own love of the Japanese textiles techniques I practice. I find sharing my love of Shibori resist, indigo dyeing, Katagami stencilling, Sashiko and Kogin embroidery and Boro inspired mending is incredibly rewarding and life affirming.

CV