JENNY LEWIS
EMAIL – [hidden – please contact me via Facebook]
EDUCATION
B.A. (Hons) Fine Art Painting
City & Guilds of London School of Art, UK
EXPERIENCE
Business
Jenny Lewis Fashions Limited
Owned and ran my own label fashion based in Hong Kong.
- Specialised in silk embellished ladies garments.
- Four retail outlets in Hong Kong.
- Exporting to high-end retailers including Harrods (for the designer department), Saks and Neiman-Marcus. This involved manufacturing in Macao, Hong Kong, Shanghai & Suzhou.
- These were some of the most fulfilling years of my life working with extremely talented hard working Chinese people.
See Jenny Lewis Fashions for more details.
Antique Chinese Textiles
Built one of the world’s largest private collections Qing Dynasty Ladies Robes which included several that belonged to the Last Empress of China.
See Asian Antiques for more details.
Teaching
Adjunct Professor – Textiles & Design Faculty
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
- Apparel Design with special emphasis on embellishment with beading & embroidery
- Cultural & commercial awareness in the International markets
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.
Charity 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 Suzhou 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.