Studio stories: Creative collaboration and learning with interns
I've had more than a dozen interns work with me over the past 26 years. Some have been great and I consider them to be like my offspring, staying in touch and delighting in how they continue to progress and grow as they find their way in the world. Not all internship applicants make the cut, though, and in recent years, especially since discovering that I'm neurodivergent, I've narrowed my criteria for interns even more to the point where I haven't had an intern since 2017. So why is accepting an intern such a big deal? Surely they're free labour and will, therefore, be of benefit?
As a self-employed creative who designs, makes and sells niche market clothing and accessories, work can sometimes be unpredictable. There's no way of guessing how many orders a pop-up shop will generate or when someone will buy something online that I don't already have in stock. It's hard to gauge how much flexibility I'll have in my schedule to be able to dedicate time to either teach someone how to do a particular part of the process to an appropriate standard for my brand, or to work with them on something new.
In August 2025, Fred, an aspiring queer visual artist from near Brighton, who specialises in performance and wearable sculptures, contacted me around the same time that I had an idea for a new design that I wanted to wear to Torture Garden. It was perfectly timed.
Over the course of a few weeks, working together one day a week to fit around Fred attending his college course and to give me space in my schedule to focus on making orders, a modular outfit emerged, based around the JPoL neck corset and an underbust corset.
Fred said of his experience interning with Jed Phoenix of London:
"I've been heavily inspired by corsetry and the fascination of manipulating the human body through art. But I felt I needed guidance on more techniques and construction methods to push me further as a creative.
When I first contacted Jed about possible internship opportunities, helping me understand pattern cutting and techniques further, they were so graceful to allow me to come into their space to help collaborate on a project. Jed’s advice and guidance on specific areas of fashion design such as pattern cutting, sewing techniques and material choices have been unbelievably helpful. The visual element of this outfit that I love is the sage green leather which looks so striking edged with the black binding. The use of press studs and D rings create a dynamic nature to the outfit where it can easily be altered and worn in different ways.
Throughout this process I've found it significant to my learning, how a personal artisan brand runs and Jed’s creative push when it comes to their designs and work ethic. As well, learning from how Jed operates as a creative really blended to my way of working, which is conceptual, through drawings and just experimenting.
Overall I've found this experience so significant to my learning and knowledge of construction and collaborating creatively on a project."
Fred met all the criteria that I have for an intern. He understood that the creative process isn't always a linear one. There were times when my words didn't work because I'd hit upon a solution to a design problem and was hugely excited. Given that I've worked alone for the past 5 years, sharing my excitement with Fred in this way felt both vulnerable and a huge privilege for me. He got it and reassured me that it was ok. The questions that Fred asked along the way reminded me that I'm a queer elder with a wealth of knowledge and lived experience. He was open minded and non judgmental when it came to the niche market that I often work in, and it was lovely to celebrate a creative partnership with someone from the next generation.
Check out Fred's Instagram to follow his continuing journey.
In the next blog post, I'll talk more about the outfit that Fred and I designed.
