Curriculum Vitae

JENNY LEWIS

EMAIL – jennylewis@mail.com

EDUCATION & WORK TITLES

BA [Hons] Fine Art Painting City & Guilds of London School of Art.

Adjunct Professor At the University of Wisconsin-Madison U.S.A.

Approved Teacher by the Department of Education, Solomon Islands.

EXPERIENCE

Designer & Owner of an International Fashion Company Based in Hong Kong:

Specializing in silk embellished ladies garments. Four Retail outlets in Hong Kong.

Exporting to the top end of the world retail markets including Harrods (for the designer department), Saks and Neiman-Marcus. This involved manufacturing in Macao, Hong Kong, Shanghai & Soochow in China. These were some of the most fulfilling years of my life working with extremely talented hard working Chinese people.

Antique Textile Collection – Specialized in collecting Ching Dynasty Ladies Robes including  several that belonged to the Last Empress Dowager Zu-Ci of China.

Teaching

Students of Textiles & Design at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, America and other Schools and colleges in Hong Kong.

• Apparel Design with special emphasis on embellishment with beading & embroidery
• Cultural & commercial awareness in the International markets
• Established a school for 30 children age 3-6 on Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands.

Lectures

• The Hong Kong History Society
• Chinese University of Hong Kong. International School of Hong Kong. Secondary Schools in Hong Kong.
• Rotary Club Men & Women’s Chapters, Hong Kong.
• The American Club, Hong Kong.
• The Polytechnic Design Students
• The Foreign Correspondence Club in Hong Kong.
• The First Beijing International Garment Basic Theory Research & Discussion Conference Beijing China.
• Talks on Different Subjects in China, England, Sweden & Denmark.

Projects

• Fund Raising for Orphans & Needy Children with Art and Fashion Shows and Fund Raising using the artworks produced by the children.
• Building Schools & Homes for the little ones in China & the Philippines.
• Celebration of Silk – Students of Art Permanent Scholarship Fund for The Chinese University of Hong Kong & for supporting the activities of the Art Gallery.

Research and Design

Took on the challenge of reproducing the costumes again in Soochow for The Last Emperor which won 9 Oscars including one for the best costumes, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.

Assisted costume designer James Achieson with the research for the film. Visited the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada and was assisted by the museum curator Angela Sheung.

In London I researched at the Victoria and Albert Museum and was assisted by Verity Wilson. Difficulties arose over pre-production fund raising leaving insufficient time to complete the reproduction of the textiles for the filming. James Achieson then made the decision to purchase the originals from my extensive Ching Dynasty Court Robe Collection.

Media – Radio

Produced & Compared Radio Programs for Adults and Children in the Solomon Islands some Produced in Bush House London.

Editorial – Television

B.B.C –  A Way of Life: ‘The Silken Thread’

The silken thread was about my silk focused designer’s life.  It was a series about people who live lives that embrace fame & fortune, achievement or danger. It was filmed around my birth town of Macclesfield which was celebrating the opening of England’s first Silk Museum in the building that was the first Sunday School that was started in England.