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In a converted 19th-century shoe factory in London’s East End, what is today one of the UK’s few remaining passementerie weaving workshops is awash with colour and texture. In the softly lit space, fragments of horsehair, linen, wool and rayon, ready to be woven into tiebacks, tassels, and trims, glint like threads of memory.
Jessica Light founded her Trims and Tassels passementerie practice in 2008, adding Wares, a bespoke spin-off, in 2021. Since then, she counts the ceremonial balcony at Buckingham Palace, the Sultan of Brunei’s throne room and a corset made for singer Kylie Minogue among her highlights; she describes her process as “heritage techniques combined with modern thoughts”.
The practice of embellishing upholstery with woven and braided silk and cord dates back to 15th-century France. After the Guild of Passementiers was founded in the 16th century, the craft was soon being commissioned by royalty and aristocrats around Europe for both clothing and furnishings.
Becoming a thriving part of the weaving industry in London’s Spitalfields, passementerie reached its apogee with the Victorians, before falling from favour as less ornate clothing and decor became fashionable. It is now classified as an endangered heritage craft in the UK; just five professionals are left in the country.
Light’s own fascination with thread and trim began as a child. “I was captivated by my grandmother’s sewing basket,” she says. “I had a toy loom, and learnt to knit and sew when I was six. I collected lace and made my dolls all sorts of clothes. I was very industrious.” At college, “My textile degree show was a collection of ribbons,” she says, “and one of my tutors sent me to Wendy Cushing, who ran one of the only passementerie workshops in London. I still have my diary entry from my first day in her studio: ‘This is my job’. I’ve never looked back.”
While Light’s trimmings may at first appear traditional, they often entwine unusual materials such as horsehair and textile remnants with beading or semi-precious stones. She builds each piece using sculptural pleating, delicately unfolding ombre tones and dip-bleaching — sometimes inspired by historical locations (the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, for example) and eras (notably the Regency period).
Light’s spectrum of activity across interiors and fashion has stretched from restoration weaving in Holyrood Palace and for the Aldwych Theatre’s curtain to creating macramé belts for Vivienne Westwood and ornamenting gowns for Christian Lacroix. As well as private individuals, brands and interior designers including Designer’s Guild, John Stefanidis, Firmdale Hotels, Burberry and Liberty have been clients. Her trimmed tablecloths feature in Kenneth Branagh’s 2022 film Death on the Nile.
“Handmade passementerie is highly skilled and incredibly labour-intensive,” she says. “It can take years to master.” To this end, she teaches her techniques at the British Museum and Winchester Art School and is a mentor for the Crafts Council’s Hothouse Scheme.
Light’s aim is not only to preserve an endangered craft, but to fashion a future for it. “I’m a link in the passementerie chain,” she says, “moving it on creatively and visually.”
Bespoke pieces range from £40 to £300 for a tieback; trims £9-£200 per metre; timings 1-10 weeks; jessicalight.co.uk
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