Meet Rebecca

Rebecca Devaney is a textile artist, researcher, and teacher with a BA in Art, Craft and Design Education (2006) and an MFA in Textile Art and Artefact (2015) from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin.

She received the prestigious Thomas Dammann Junior Memorial Trust Award (2015), to research hand embroidery in Mexico and the resulting exhibition, Bordados, a collection of photographs, interviews, and textiles, has been presented internationally.

In 2018, following her graduation from École Lesage, Paris, Rebecca worked as a professional haute couture embroiderer for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Dior, Valentino, Givenchy, and Louis Vuitton. Her research into the origins, history and heritage of haute couture embroidery has been published and presented internationally.

Rebecca established Textile Tours of Paris in 2019 to share her love of the rich heritage of textiles woven through the fabric of Paris, giving guided tours of the haberdasheries (notions stores) and vintage textile and fashion experts at the oldest flea market in Paris.

In 2022, Rebecca launched Samplers of Seduction, a collection of beautiful embroidery kits inspired by 18th century patterns and designs hidden in the libraries and museums of Paris.

In 2023, Rebecca and Jo Andrews began publishing Textile Travels, a series of guides for the intrepid textile traveller. Rebecca will launch her first television series on the Joie de Vivre streaming network in 2024.

École Lesage

Rebecca came to Paris in 2017 to begin her professional training in Haute Couture embroidery at the prestigious École Lesage. The world renowned school was established to preserve and continue the savoir-faire of Maison Lesage that has been creating opulent embroidery for Haute Couture fashion since 1924. She spent six months training in the intricate arts of Lunéville embroidery, traditional needlework and embellishment. Rebecca has described her time at École Lesage on her beautifully illustrated blog.

After qualifying, Rebecca began working as an embroiderer for the worlds most renowned Maisons de Haute Couture such as Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce and Gabanna, Louis Vuitton and Valentino. She embroidered gowns for celebrities and royalty worn at the Met Gala Ball, Cannes Film Festival and of course, Paris Fashion Shows.

Research

With an MFA in Textile Art and Artefact from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin Rebecca is captivated by the hidden narratives revealed through textiles, embroidery and fashion history.

Her research into the origins, history, heritage and contemporary practices of Haute Couture Embroidery was selected for presentation at the International Council of Museums and Collections of Costume annual conference, The Making of Luxury at Versailles Palace, France (2020). Her writing has been published in Surface Design Journal, Selvedge Magazine, The Stitcher's Journal, The Maker's Atelier and books including Embellishment and RÉBÉ  and has featured in several episodes of the Haptic & Hue Tales of Textiles as well as the Dressed podcast series.

Rebecca has presented her research at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fibre Arts, Valley Quail EGA, Orange Coast Sampler Guild (USA), the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National College of Art and Design and Griffith College Dublin (Ireland), the Belfast College of Art (Northern Ireland). 

Art Practice

Rebecca’s Art practice is inspired by Literature, Poetry and Dress History that describe and illustrate the female experience. She explores these themes and develops narratives through the evocative motif of Pandora dolls and her series of textile sculptures A Response to The Shadow Doll and A Response to Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven has been exhibited in group and solo shows in Ireland (2006 - 2015).

Stitches of Affirmation was exhibited at the Healing and Reflection group show in San Francisco (2020), Tears of Aphrodite was selected for exhibition at the OECD inaugural conference on Ending Violence Against Women in Paris (2020). Remembrance, her most recent work, was commissioned by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and the Irish Embassy to France to celebrate St Brigid’s Day becoming a National holiday in Ireland.

Rebecca has completed artist residencies in India and Abu Dhabi (2017) and Paris (2020).

Teaching

Rebecca graduated with a BA in Art, Craft and Design Education and was honoured to receive the Education Award in 2006 from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. She has worked as an Art, Craft and Design teacher with a specialisation in Textiles, Embroidery and Fashion Design & History in Ireland, Mexico, India, the United Arab Emirates and now, France.

Bordados

This exhibition showcases the rich textile tradition and heritage of Mexico with a collection of 18 superb embroidered textiles accompanied by fascinating narratives gathered from artisans across the vast and beautiful country of Mexico.

After receiving the prestigious Thomas Dammann Junior Memorial Trust Award, Rebecca spent the summer of 2015 researching the cultural significance, craft techniques and aesthetic styles of embroidered textiles in Mexico. She met with indigenous craftspeople, artists, anthropologists, and museum curators. They described how the ancient traditions and techniques are passed down through generations of women to daughters as young as 5 or 6 and how the income it generates often affords them financial independence and autonomy.

The resulting collection of photographs, interviews and textiles has been exhibited at the Mexican Embassy in Ireland in 2016. It was subsequently exhibited at the Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the Sharjah University College of Fine Arts and Design in the United Arab Emirates (2017).

Bordados was selected as the first ever exhibition hosted at the Mexican Embassy to France as part of the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine celebrations (2018). A selection of Rebecca’s photographs are now in the permanent collection of the Mexican Consulate to France.