Whatcha Doin' Kitty & Dude?

I know, I know... Last fortnight I promised that we'd be kicking off our vintage lifestyle series. Hold that thought. The fabulous Cosima Sempill of Kitty & Dude fame has very kindly taken part in our 'Whatcha Doin'?' e-interview and we just can't hold it in. Y'all must read about Kitty & Dude straight away. Your life depends on it.

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Cosima. Where are you from? What's your background? How did you come to be involved in creative culture in Scotland?

I spent four years in Glasgow studying ceramics at the Glasgow School of Art and just fell in love with the city. After I graduated in 2005 I moved back to Edinburgh. Since then, I've been building my ceramic giftware company, Kitty & Dude. I started worked from my parents’ garage initially, making work solely for the Velvet Boutique design fairs and online shop. I later moved into the Adam Pottery and experienced life in a real working studio. I met some of Scotland's most talented ceramicists through my involvement with the studio and the other artists really helped me settle in. They introduced me to the creative scene in Edinburgh. Over the years, Jeda (the founder of Velvet Boutique) has been instrumental in raising my profile. Her website has such a great following and she tirelessly promoters her designers.

 

Your business is called Kitty & Dude. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

I came up with the name Kitty & Dude while playing with some typewriter letters! About three years ago I was really into printing onto clay. I thought it would be a good way to sign my work (e.g. the bottom of a mug) and build a brand. Kitty & Dude is great because it gives me a bit of anonymity and allows me to keep ‘Cosima Sempill’ for my hand-built pieces. The ethos behind Kitty & Dude is very simple. It’s all about making design accessible and fun. I want customers to get a kick out of their K&D items each time they use them, the strong tongue-in-cheek feel of my work stimulates both the aesthetic an intellectual senses.

 

Is Kitty & Dude your full-time job? Are you involved in any other projects?

Cosima's Living Space

Although running Kitty & Dude is a full time job, I also work for the Royal Scottish Academy and the Open Eye Gallery as a gallery assistant. My part time work allows me to see how the other side of the art world works - setting up exhibitions, selling work and handling artists. However, I am just about to launch my ‘Interior Styling Service’ as another string to the Kitty & Dude bow. I am gathering interiors shots for my portfolio at the moment and will be expanding my website to show my handy work very soon. Watch this space!

 

Tell us about your work as a designer/maker. What inspires you? Crafty weapons of choice? Favourite materials?

So many things inspire me, but I really couldn’t live without Elle Décor, Vogue and a hefty dose of 1950s everything. I love the bold patterns and palette of that era. It’s the confident, new and shiny, post-war optimism in 1950s design that really thrills me. Most of the Kitty & Dude range is slip cast, so I am a bit of a plaster junkie. My most favoured 'crafty weapon' is probably the digital decal (transfers that I design and then fire onto the glazed body) and of course, gold lustre. There is a wonderful bank of patterns that I dip into from a company called KH Bailey. They stock everything from old Chatsworth style wallpaper patterns to Willow pattern. These two magic fellas allow me to create the Kitty & Dude look, personalise my stuff and make bespoke items for clients. I love them. Swoon.

Cosima's Interior Styling

Talk to us a little bit about our inspirations and influences. What helps get your creative juices flowing?

I am heavily influenced by my early childhood in South Africa. The imagery and the palette of that part of the world will always be ingrained in my subconscious. My tutors would constantly comment on my ‘fearless use of colour’ and the use of humour in my work. I love peoples’ response to the wit in my work. It's great when customers pick up a Kitty & Dude piece and giggle or point something out to their friends. I am also heavily influenced by classical design. I've become a bit vintage ceramic junkie! My room is crammed full of ancient bits of lustre ware, porcelain jugs, plates, cups and saucers. The collection continuously expands with enamelware, 1950s glasses, hand embroidered tray cloths and the walls are adorned with un-wearable vintage garments. It is very important to me to be surrounded by beautiful things, fabulous colour and interesting pattern. I find it uplifting and the visual stimuli keeps my mind busy and creative juices flowing.

 

Have you found any like-minds to bounce ideas around with? How do you keep motivated to develop your business? Are you a member of any crafty groups or networks?

Coburg House Art Studios is full of super-talented folk creating wonderful work. I’m really pleased to be part of their crafty group. I’m still in contact with lots of my friends from GSA and I've recently collaborated with Angharad Jefferson for The Gathering 2009. I bounce ideas around with my close friend Becca Wilson a lot. Becca is a ceramicist too. We share inspirations and motivations and since we work in the studio together, she's often my first port of call when I need to talk about my work. She rocks. I love websites like Design*Sponge and Made In The Shade too. Seeing how pro-active and enthusiastic people are about craft inspires me to keep developing Kitty & Dude.

 

What are your hopes, dreams and aspirations for Kitty & Dude? What next?

I really hope that I can continue to sustain Kitty & Dude and I hope that as time goes on, Kitty & Dude will sustain me. I’d love to supply some big London stores. I've already had a note of interest from Liberty. It will be wonderful when I amalgamate my love of styling with Kitty & Dude and expand my business. One of my secret aspirations is to be featured in Elle Décor or contribute to an issue.

….

Oh how we love you Kitty & Dude. Keep your eyes on the Made In The Shade vendor line-up this Autumn/Winter. All being well, you will spot Kitty & Dude at a boutique shopping event sometime soon! Maybe grab a ceramic grenade for Granny Sadie's Christmas?