Syd Newman

Textile Technician

Syd Newman

Syd was always looking for the next skill she hadn’t mastered yet. She found it in clothing construction and hasn’t stopped looking since, also finding that craft is what makes her feel herself.

Syd was home-educated for nine years by a mother who consistently nurtured her creativity. Hand sewing, jewellery making and accessories. The conventional crafts came first, then college and a two-year BA (Hons) in Fashion and Design that clarified everything. The research, the gathering, the way it all culminated in an end product that reflected her own interpretation: this was the process that made sense.

Syd doesn’t stay in one place. She moves between industrial sewing machines, the Exiled meeting room and wherever the current project needs her to be. She personalises her tools with ribbons and hand drawings — small acts of ownership in a shared space.

When textile waste arrives, she deconstructs pieces down to their unsewn form, truly understanding what she is working with before committing to a design direction.

For Syd, making Exiled clothing and accessories is inseparable from the relationship between maker and wearer. She takes pride in creating pieces that connect with people on a deeper level. Helping someone build a wardrobe that makes them feel more confident and true to their own style is, she says, always the goal.

One of her most significant Exiled projects has been creating keyrings from scrap pieces of leather and uniform fabric – too small for garments – and transforming them into durable accessories. The challenge was zero-waste pattern cutting at a miniature scale, where the margin for error is essentially nothing.

“Being creative has provided an outlet that allows me to believe in myself and to grow. I have faced many challenges and am genuinely proud of the progress I have made, both personally and professionally.”

Outside work, Syd runs her own business making custom pieces and creates art to process the bad days that visit her from time to time. She is open about living with mental health challenges, and about what the work has given her in return.

Syd also models with photographer friends for the pure joy of collaborating. She visits exhibitions and museums as often as she can, believing in learning from the past to inform the future – both creatively and personally.

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“I am consistently interested in learning and discovering new skills. My passion and love lie in finding solutions to challenges that others might have abandoned.”

Meet your makers

This is our circle of makers: artisans, designers, technicians and technologists, each bringing a distinct craft and a shared conviction that the material others overlook still has more to say.

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Bridie Rimmer
Bridie Rimmer
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Bridie Rimmer

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Kelimune Handloom Centre
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Kelimune Handloom Centre

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Polonnaruwa Artisan Community
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Sam Grannon
Sam Grannon
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Sisi

Sisi chose creativity at nine years old and has never reconsidered. Making for her is not a job or a practice. It is the clearest expression of who she is.

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Sisi
Textile Technician

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Syd Newman

Syd was always looking for the next skill she hadn’t mastered yet. She found it in clothing construction and hasn’t stopped looking since, also finding that craft is what makes her feel herself.

Syd Newman
Syd Newman
Textile Technician

Syd Newman

Textile Technician
Tendai ‘Tee’ Murairwa

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Tendai ‘Tee’ Murairwa
Tendai ‘Tee’ Murairwa
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Tendai ‘Tee’ Murairwa

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