Artists Melanie Eddy, Jordan Carey, and Courtney Clay each create artwork that can be worn on the body. In this panel, they’ll discuss the intersection of art and fashion, the impact of commerce on their process, and how Bermuda has inspired their designs.

Melanie Eddy is a renowned sculptural jeweller, with a solo exhibition, Meditations on Form, currently on display at the Bermuda National Gallery. She is a Director of The Association for Contemporary Jewellery, a Maker Trustee for the Crafts Council and a Trustee for The Silversmiths & Jewellers Charity. Melanie sees her working practice as an example of a comprehensive and industry tailored approach and has undertaken contracts with institutions and corporations as varied as Swarovski, DeBeers, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Council, the Aga Khan Foundation, The Crafts Council, The National Gallery and The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.

Jordan Carey is a Bermudian designer and artist whose work focuses on marginalization and mundanity’s capacity to build more intentional relationships to craft and commerce. In January 2020, Carey launched Loquat, an independent fashion and accessories brand focused on empowering marginalized people. Loquat currently has store fronts in Portland, Maine and Hamilton, Bermuda. Carey’s individual practice combines traditional Bermuda kite-making, paper making, and natural dyeing to create narrative kite frames with collage and charcoal. His approach to sourcing, manufacturing, collaboration, and ephemerality in Loquat and kite-making coagulate into larger critiques of extractive relationships within colonial capitalism.

Courtney Clay is a multi-disciplinary artist. Courtney obtained her MA Distinction in Printed Textiles for Fashion and Interiors at University of The Creative Arts Rochester. She holds her BA in Fashion at Kingston School of Art. Courtney also studied at Istituto Marangoni in Milan Italy and completed Fashion Folio course at Central Saint Martins. Courtney was honored as the Best of Bermuda 2024 winner in the category of “Local Accessory Designer.” She has created accessories for the Bermuda Olympic Team participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Courtney has been featured as a local designer at the Bermuda Fashion Festival and her work has been featured on DaBaby in Wave magazine and in Joy Crookes’ “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” music video.