Meet The Founders
Vevar is a studio developed from years of passionate interest in both woven cloth and the rich history of Scottish textiles. The product of two award winning designers, Christopher McEvoy-Barton and Chantal Allen, coming together to develop a modern micro mill in the heart of Glasgow’s East End - an area itself steeped in textiles history.
Born and raised in Glasgow, Christopher became interested in textiles when he learned of his family’s history of working in the industry, as cotton weavers in The Calton and as dyers and finishers in Paisley. Having studied Textile Design at the Glasgow School of Art he undertook many placements where he gained knowledge about small high-end production of cloth – a theme that has carried on into his own practise.
He then went on to the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, where his work became mainly focused around raising awareness of the history of Scottish textiles and its innovations. This love of forgotten techniques and a willingness to accept a challenge has seen him work with various brands and fashion houses such as Charles Jeffery's Loverboy and Alexander McQueen to name a few.
On graduating from the RCA he won the Deutsche Bank Award for Creative Enterprise allowing him to open up his first studio, McEvoy Textiles, the first hand weaving studio in The Calton for 100 years. Working on a project by project basis to deliver fresh and exciting textile solutions, his clients span from major fashion houses to Turner Prize nominated artists. Now, he splits his time between continuing to build his own practise and working in the Vevar studio with co-founder Chantal Allen.
With over 20 years experience in the textile design industry, Chantal also looks forward to bringing back manufacturing of woven cloth to the city. Starting from an early age her passion for fabric, colour and designing lead her to dedicate herself to the practice of weaving. Her expertise grew whilst studying Textile Design at the Glasgow School of Art where she then went onto teach and share her knowledge as a weave technician at the university.
Her dedication for fabric and structure then took her to India where she designed and developed Jacquard woven fabrics for the European and American markets. On returning home to Scotland she received numerous awards for her designs and continued to work on creative textile projects worldwide.
In 2014 she founded her first creative textile brand, Warped Textiles, a luxury craft business focusing on time-honoured artisan fabrics. She is a strong advocate of working with British manufacturers and sourcing the best materials to ensure transparency, tradition and pride in the UK.
Here at Vevar the studio aims to carry on championing Scottish textile history. Whilst there are few countries that can be defined by a fabric so much as we are, we aim to prove that there’s more to us than just Tartan and Tweeds.
With Christopher and Chantal collaborating as passionate Scottish textiles ambassadors, we aim to bring weaving craftsmanship back to Glasgow, thus preserving the craft for future generations.