Polly Brown takes us behind the scenes of designer Phoebe English's atelier

British designer Phoebe English is renowned for straddling the line which separates fine art and fashion – creating abstract, wearable pieces which would be equally welcome in a gallery setting, should a curator be that way inclined. These are the result of a lengthy investigation into her fabrics and materials and arduous construction. It’s long overdue, then, that she allow a photographer into her Hackney atelier to preserve a little of this for prying eyes in the outside world. Photographer Polly Brown is well suited to the task.

Creating a series of photographs to be released as a book entitled Floating | Falling | Drowning | Flying: An Introspective of Process, Polly’s images immortalise fleeting moments in the studio which hint at the evolution of Phoebe’s work, from swatches of tulle stitched together and stacks of research documents piled in tote bags on the top of a filing cabinet, into a final collection. The series compiles a palette of a muted monochrome tones in commingling textures, serving as an alluring glance of what’s up next for Phoebe.

Floating | Falling | Drowning | Flying: An Introspective of Process is at London’s Now Gallery until 9 August.