Felix Papa is a maker and designer who focuses on producing hand-finished pieces that are the antithesis of fast fashion. He prefers to work with natural materials, and his “traditionally untraditional” approach combines historical reference points and a deep-rooted respect for heritage crafts to create contemporary garments with unexpectedly modern silhouettes.

Papa has been drafting his own patterns for several years and, after completing his Foundation year at Ravensbourne University London, he has secured a place to study pattern-cutting at the London College of Fashion commencing September 2028. His longer-term ambition is to obtain a coatmaking apprenticeship with an established house on Savile Row. He plans to spend the next year taking on freelance finishing jobs on the Row and further developing his skillset through selected short courses at the London Academy of Bespoke. He also hopes to find time to expand his repertoire of hand embroidery stitches and goldwork techniques.

Outside of stitch-based pursuits, Papa is a keen photographer with a particular interest in urban landscapes and botanical subjects. He is adept in manipulating images using Lightroom and Photoshop, and he also has experience of Illustrator, InDesign and CAD software utilising Shapr3D and Autodesk Fusion for design and manufacturing.