In June 2001, I was approached by the mulberry company of Shepton Mallet, in Somerset, with the possibility of making four dress sculptures for their flagship store in New Bond Street, London, who were undergoing a major refit.

I made five dresses as a series over the summer of 2001. When I first visited the Mulberry factory in Shepton Mallet, I was excited about the materials and processes that they worked with. An assortment of fabrics arrived at my studio in all sizes of boxes and parcels, and I played.

Each piece evolved. Somehow the Mulberry fabrics suggested ideas as I worked.

The beautiful devoree material felt and looked like rivulets of water and became transformed into the piece shown above. It has a suggestion of a mermaid or fish skin with trailing tail fins. The surface was layered with the devoree and hat netting and finally singed to give it a weathered and wore quality.

This dress was made from torn up and collaged promotional material and past catalogues. It makes an ironic statement about the obsessional use of words and labels in clothing.

The long pastel dress became truly Mulberry, it has actual Mulberry leaves, silvered and collaged with the Mulberry logo taken from the embroidered fabric onto the surface.

This leather dress posed a number of challenges. Using the sweepings and reject leather pieces off the factory floor, I created a short dress so that it didn't look too much like an animal skin.