Jen Sims

The Ginko bag made in ethereal muslin and back lit to clearly show its construction

Individually made, one by one

Jen is an accessories designer-maker, specialising in hand stitched leatherwork.

Based in London, she works from her micro-studio under the label Sakk

Jen ducks under a washing line holding silk and cotton scarves she has printed and hand dyed with natural indigo

Through each individually made piece, I am offering the possibility of a quiet confidence and soulful uplifting for both maker and wearer, an invitation for connecting on a deeper and emotional level. This is the essence of my Sakk brand.

Culturally, I am my own thing - the way I feel, the things I identify with. Due to my mixed race heritage, I draw on an East meets West aesthetic, giving my work a subtle almost unconscious oriental influence.

Helped by a scholarship from the Leathersellers’ Company, I came to the RCA as a traditional hand stitch leatherworker and have undergone quite a transformation in my practice with much more of my personality and sensibilities showing through, adding a new, more intuitive and spontaneous way of working, to my slow, carefully considered leatherworking process.

Research

I have been researching what making by hand can do for us, on both a personal and societal level, what I call ‘making as meditation’. And within this, comparing the appreciation of the handmade in England and Japan, from Savile Row to Living National Treasures, our education systems and our new trade deal.

‘If the hand skill is repetitive, it can free our minds, achieving a meditative state and along with the achievement, a sense of euphoria.

Making fashion items slowly, by hand, means we can wrap ourselves in this sense of wellbeing.’

Quote - “When I see the bags, I feel what you are feeling as you make them.” Mo Nan - Digital designer

Wearing black linen and shades, the sophisticated older model holds the Pogi black leather and knitted suede bag

The older model wears a silk scarf printed with an image of a classic car taken in Havana, Cuba

I make for me, for you

Noguchi talks about stepping out of the constraints of our time, and our work becoming unrestricted and accessible to all, not just those in that particular time and place. As mediator between the past, present and future, this is what I’d like to achieve in my own work.

Designing for gentle simplicity and clever transformation.

The use of vegetable tanned leather, this natural product, that has been treated in a slow traditional way, anchors my work and means that each piece is unique and made in a carefully considered way, resisting over-production and waste.

I’ve chosen an older model to represent my work because of my outings as a Flaneur both feeling and observing, women in particular, becoming invisible as we get older.

The Black leather Pogi bag catches the warm glow of setting sunlight while held in front of the model wearing black

Pogi is a contraction of the word PODAEGI - the Korean word for a papoose. The Pogi is the ultimate in Making as Meditation, combining my traditional hand stitched leather working process and Flexi-Fold minimalist system of making for the outer, and a hand knitted inner suede bag, which is detachable. This inner bag is beautifully soft and gives a lovely textural contrast with the traditional bridle leather outer bag.

The black leather Pogi outer bag being held out by a hand on a white background

The black suede knitted Pogi detachable inner bag on a white background

Traditional bridle leather kindly provided by Sedgwick & Co.

Accessories craft Fashion Healing Knitting Leather

The blue steam pleated Ginko bag is held by someone walking past and is the only thing captured in focus

The steam pleated Ginko bag, made under my Flexi-Fold, system, transforms and expands, stitched at the selvedge to avoid waste and give a more delicate feel.

IT’S QUITE AMAZING HOW THE SIMPLICITY OF IT, THE QUIET INTENT, REALLY COMMUNICATES IN THE PIECES Diane Becker Craft the Leather

The ginkgo bag spread out on the table with the black and white image repeated to form a pattern

Accessories Fashion Folds Transformation

Round blue knitted fabric bag held by someone wearing black partially obscured by natural indigo dyed semi-transparent fabric

Turning to knitting, this traditionally therapeutic pass time. In contrast to my leatherworking process, the Mini Sakk was a spontaneous and unscripted make. Re-creation for recreation

Round blue knitted fabric bag cradled by someone with pink lipstick

Black and white photo of excessive draping wires in Japan with a sign in Hirigana kusuri meaning medicine in Japanese

Black and white continuous line drawing of the sakk knitted bag in progress with needles

Accessories Fashion Healing Knit Knitting Mental Health Re-made

I also enjoy a sense of fun and the juxtapositions of the things I make are also jarringly obvious. The absurd and the refined, the frivolous and the practical, the fun and the serious, the speedy and the painfully slow.

Automata Kinetic Playful Sculpture

SAKK X SAVVAS - Working with Savvas to design and make bags within the constraints of his local production, on-demand, laser cut system.

Two images of the black Puff fabric bag worn across the body by a model in a black dress

Two images of the shopper being worn expanded and folded

In Collaboration with:

Savvas Alexander

Bags

Accessories Collaboration Fashion

SAKK X KUSCHONINK - Tom and Jen share a love for the East meets West aesthetic, and scoured London for a green and calm location for a phot shoot.

Walking away over the grass wearing 39.9 black linen trousers and top with red scarf over shoulder carrying blue mini sakk

Jen faces away wearing the floppy hat with the blue mini sakk on a stick over her shoulder

Jen holds up the washing line with the red classic car image silk scarf pegged to it

Between washing line and natural indigo scarf we see Jen wearing the 39.9 black linen top and trousers, holding the mini sakk

In Collaboration with:

Xiangyin Tom Gu

Photography

Collaboration Nature Photography

Share Community gives adults with learning disabilities, autism and other forms of differences, the opportunity to be - well, adults. RCA alumni Ellen Fowles and Anne Ferial set up a collaboration between RCA Fashion and Share arts students to decorate a hat together, presented and then exhibited at the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, June 2022 - and it really did bring joy! Kelly from Share and I found inspiration in Ukrainian headdresses. This also inspired me to create a small doll, hand embroidered by my mum.