Charlotte Karin Bull - Designer Maker Educator 

From a young age, I started making things. Using a sewing machine and feeling the different materials pass through my small hands. I have always been imaginative, I realised later that it was not only the making of clothes I enjoyed, but also the fabric itself. The colour and texture. This is the reason I picked textiles because I wanted to invent new materials. Play with materiality.

 

My surroundings are a principal part of my making. I am fortunate to have a beautiful wild cottage garden and live across from a nature reserve. I have always experienced a strong connection towards nature. Having grown up by my grandmother, I have been taught to appreciate the simple details around us and how to look after them. I was encouraged to explore, creating pictures with seashells, making clothes from scrap fabrics, and drawing with crayons on the patio.

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Another form of inspiration comes from markets; as a child my grandparents would take me to antique fairs and car-boot sales, I love collecting old things. I pay attention to intricacies; underlying details and the stories objects may tell. As well as people and their memories, lived experiences engage me, the complexity of the visible and the invisible matter provides infinite possibilities to inspire my work.

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My name also has a story I like to share; Charlotte; from French origin meaning petite, relating to my admiration for intricacies. Karin is my grandmother; derivation from Katheros meaning pure, this relates to my practise and honesty in the materials I use. Both names have an elegance, are traditional and have strong characters. I would like to fulfil my grandmother's dreams. Banished from Silesia in 1945. My grandmother’s family had nothing, so everything had to be handmade. She was lucky to partake in an apprenticeship to become a bespoke dressmaker. Her love for textiles and art has inspired me no end. Her aspiration was to set up her own studio, she is always supporting me as I follow my dream and make it reality. 

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After graduating from the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham renowned for long-established hand-crafted skills. I undertook a Master in Textiles at the  Royal College of Art continuing my passion for materiality, tradition, and innovation. With a strong focus on interactive textile art, highlighting memories; weaving these into the space I design.

I have since pursued a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Goldsmiths, University of London, where my research centred on the signature pedagogies of the design studio and the role of agency within design philosophy. I now teach full-time across Product Design, Textiles, and Art, sharing my passion for creative exploration and critical making. Alongside teaching, my practice encompasses commissioned work and limited collections of woven and printed textiles. I regularly lead workshops and tutorials for both public and private clients, drawing on my experience as an educator to create engaging, hands-on learning environments. My aim is to foster creativity through sustainable, process-led making.

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