'KaetheLux' workcoat, silk shantung, 2011. Cut and constructed by Steven Purvis, Scotland for Atelier E.B.

Cream silk shantung workcoat, lightweight and loose-fitting, with large Peter Pan collar and curved turnback cuffs

© Atelier E.B.

Atelier E.B (Edinburgh Brussels) is the company name under which the designer Beca Lipscombe and the artist Lucy McKenzie sign their collaborative projects. Based between Edinburgh and Brussels, their work blends historical research, design and art, creating fashion collections, commissioned displays and interiors, textiles and publications. McKenzie studied Art at University of Dundee's Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, and Lipscombe studied Fashion/Print at Central Saint Martins, London. They formed Atelier E.B in 2007 and since 2011 the pair have operated as a fashion label which, where possible, uses local production methods in Scotland and Belgium; and also focuses on alternative forms of distribution and display. Lipscombe and McKenzie place art and design on an equal footing, applying methodologies from both spheres.

This workcoat was part of Atelier E.B.'s The Inventors of Tradition collection and presentation, 2011.

"A workcoat can simultaneously suggest drudgery and liberation. The work coat signifies bohemian emancipation of the women who were able for the first time to enter public and private arts schools at the end of the 19th century"
- Lucy McKenzie, Rodchenko's Worker Suit Had No Fly, The Inventors of Tradition publication, 2011.

The workcoat was patterned and constructed for Atelier E.B. by the Glaswegian taior Steven Purvis (1953-2021), a deeply admired and respected craftsman whose work since the 1970s had been widely appreciated. An active part of the UK Mod scene, he created authentic mohair and tonic custom-tailored suits for members of the community. He also made costumes and clothing for television, film, opera, ballet and theatre, including often working for Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet, and the National Theatre of Scotland.

He studied at Glasgow School of Art between 1970-74, and used to travel to London to party and shop, bringing back trendy and fashionable clothing which he reproduced and made up for Scottish customers who had difficulty finding similarly on-trend clothing more locally. From 1972 onwards he participated in the Glasgow School of Art fashion shows, standing out for his sharp, skinny-fit silhouettes, Hollywood glamour, and precise tailoring which remained his signature all through his career. He was also known for his leather Western Rodeo-style jackets. After graduation, one of his first commissions was to design staf uniforms for Rox, in Glasgow's Queen Street.

During the 1980s he was in a business partnership that ran several large factories in Falkirk and Cumberland to produce high-volume orders for Marks and Spencer and other retail stores, while also creating samples for Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood and others. However, he moved back to Glasgow to become a bespoke tailor, where he was based originally in Cook Street, then Dowanhill Street, then Chancellor Street in 2003 and finally at the Hive in Finnieston before closing in 2019.

He was known as a conoisseur of traditional Scottish textiles such as Harris Tweed, Fair Isle knits and cashmere, which he used in his work. He also actively supported creative projects and collaborations, including a significant role in establishing Atelier E.B. and contributing to their 'The Inventors Of Tradition' exhibition in 2011.

- Daniel Milford-Cottam 23/02/2023
(with acknowledgement of Caroline Thompson's obituary of Purvis in The Herald, published 15 April 2021)

T.9-2023