Your top picks - - stylish fan-favorites in Wales
A few weeks’ ago we asked for your insider tips and suggestions on stylish hangouts and cool locales in Wales. Thank you to everyone who contributed, it’s great to have your feedback and input on Facebook - - www.facebook.com/visitwales.
If you’re looking for the lowdown on Welsh designers, here are some fabulous recommendations...
Samuel Jones suggested heading to Coterie, a retail and studio space in Haverfordwest showcasing leading British and Welsh contemporary designers such as Tracy Watkins, a furniture and accessories designer. One of the other designers featured at Coterie, and who has items on sale at independent boutiques in south and west Wales, is Zoe Gealy, a designer based in Swansea; Zoe produces unique knitwear including shawls, wraps and scarves. www.coteriedesign.com
Sophie Buckley suggests checking out Design Splat - www.designsplat.com - a cool design-focused blog which features a lot of Welsh designers. For example, there’s a feature on Cerys Thomasa, a fashion designer who has her own label; Cerys’ latest dresses are on sale at Pussy Galore in Cardiff and Bossy Boutique in Swansea. Then there’s Kelly Goss, a fashion designer from Swansea with her own label ‘Rock ‘N’ Needle’ who has just launched her new online boutique range at www.rocknneedle.com.
Quite a few of our fans agreed that it’s essential to check out Melin Tregwynt products - www.melintregwynt.co.uk. The company is based in Pembrokeshire where the woolen mill is well-worth visiting; however, the fab’ woolen items are also sold across Wales, for example, Bryn Jones suggests checking out Scorpio in Llandeilo, a stunning boutique shop over three floors selling tons of local Welsh delights (located on King Street in Llandeilo, tel. 01144 155 882 4462). Melin Tregwynt’s range includes everything from slippers, dressing gowns, scarves and coats to trendy lampshades.
While in Llandeilo, be sure to also visit Fountain Fine Art (www.fountainfineart.com) as they’ve just opened new exhibition space, and is celebrating 20 years in business with a special exhibition featuring local artists. The gallery holds work of established Welsh artists such as Mike Jones, Valerie Ganz, Aneurin Jones and Gareth Thomas.
Or how about handmade knickers? Warren urged us to check out Knickers in a Box, a company in Pembrokeshire making underwear from luxurious and rare fabrics - www.knickersinabox.co.uk.
If you’re looking for High Street shopping in a more rural setting, try Cowbridge, a town of just 4,000 people yet brimming with boutique shops covering fashion, jewelry, beauty and spas, gifts, galleries and interior design. Check out shops like Pebble (www.pebbleclothing.co.uk), Visage (www.visagecowbridge.co.uk) and Havana Boutique (www.havanaboutique.co.uk), voted best clothes shop in Wales by the Western Mail. Wales Facebook fan Moya Northall concurs that Cowbridge has “great designer shops,” however Sian Holley reminds us that it’s “a great place to shop… but a nightmare to park!” so we’d reckon on taking the bus 40-minutes from Cardiff.
Here at TravelWales.org we haven't yet made it to Mari Thomas' new studio, but can't wait to visit after meeting her in New York. Mari teamed up with Nicola Palterman in 2006; their gallery - Palterman and Thomas - aspires to showcase the best of Welsh and international designer jewelry and silverware. They have an amazing array of jewelry for purchase and can design bespoke items. www.paltermanandthomas.com
In North Wales, contemporary style and design can be found under one roof… Ruthin Craft Centre (www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk) is another quite special place. I don’t know about you, but when I heard “craft center” I was expecting a few Welsh slate coasters and straw baskets! Not the case. Ruthin Craft Center is an extensive complex comprising permanent artist studios, two artist-in-residence studios, three display galleries, a shop selling work by contemporary Welsh artists, and an impressive café. Phil, who runs the center, showed me around, mentioning that textile artist, Cefyn Burges, was soon to have his own studio there. We met Jessica Lloyd-Jones, the center’s current artist-in-resident, who has created a light installation which spectacularly lights up the exterior of the craft center at night.
So there we have it - - some of Wales’ fashionable and stylish offerings; but we certainly want to know of any more. Let us know on our Facebook page.