Sophie is a making practitioner who sews, draws, prints and writes. She grew up in the English countryside of Shropshire, spent 11 years in London and now resides in Sheffield, splitting her time.
She studied Bespoke Tailoring at London College of Fashion as she feels tailoring is the foundation of design; to be able to fit to the body by understanding how to create an illusion of shape. She believes there is an importance in slow intricate craftmanship yet focuses on unorthodox tailoring fabrics and handcrafted trimmings in her making related by subtle variations in colour. Display is key to her work for merging her tailoring practice with her art tenancies. Show casing the bespoke pieces by creating a still- life atmosphere around the garments.
Sophie went on to intern for Wales Bonner, John Skelton and the Royal Opera House in the men’s workroom, focusing on specific costume tailoring for new productions as well as repairs and alterations. She then joined McCann Bespoke Tailors where she concentrated on her illustration, writing, cloth research, marketing and general day to day running of the company alongside her own printing and garment making practice and freelance work as a textile hand-worker for the designer Roberts Woods.
In December 2020 she completed her Masters in Design: Expanded Practice at Goldsmiths where her making focused on expanded fashion practices. She became drawn to everyday moments of garments in terms of repair, care and wear. From working with textile objects in the Textile Collection at Goldsmiths the importance of the ‘archive’ became central to her work, whether that be historical textiles or our own everyday textiles. Drawing is central to her work, focusing on line and movement before.
Sophie completed a year and a half internship called ‘Illuminating Objects’ at The Courtauld Gallery in conjunction with the Science Museum where she has researched items from The Courtauld’s collection to produce written web content and drawn work as well designing and curating the displays of two objects in both galleries. She continues to work with the Courtauld Research Forum on a freelance basis for giving/organising talks and workshops within their ‘After Hour Events’
She has just completed her scholarship at the Royal Drawing School on The Drawing Year 22. She worked as a costume assistant at Academy Costumes for film and theatre for two years. Currently she is a Fashion Technician at Central Saint Martins, Outdoor Clothing Repairer at Mulch Repair Studio and working in design/making on a freelance basis.
Exhibitions
Constance Howard Gallery, ‘Careworn’ Solo Exhibition, London May 2024
Young Collectors, Fen Ditton Gallery, Online May-July 2024
Mid Wales Art Centre, Caersws, November 2023
Peckham Craft Show, Lansdown Gallery, Stroud, November 2023
Open Studios, Space Studios, Hackney, London, December 2022
The Drawing Year 22 End of Year Exhibition, Royal Drawing School, Shoreditch, London, December 2022
‘Best of the Drawing Year 22’ - Christies, King Street, London, November 2022
‘Illuminating Objects - A Pair of Beakers’ - The Courtauld Gallery, London, November - April 2021
Fife Contemporary, Resolve to Make it New - Online Exhibition of Darning Care Kits from the project ‘A Domestic Residency At My Parents House - Fife, 2021
Modus, Onomatopee Projects - ‘How to make when you have lost’ publication in their archive installation- Eindhoven, 2021
‘Illuminating Objects - A Silk Fragment’ - Science Museum, London, May - August 2021
‘Found In Translation’ - MA Exhibition, Goldsmiths, London 2020
‘Peckham Craft Show’- London Craft Week, London, 2019
‘Making A Mark’ - The Trampery, London 2016
Workshops/Talks
‘Peter Doig drop in life drawing workshop’, The Courtauld Gallery, After Hours Event, London, February 2023
Fashions & Embodiment’, Talk & Drawing workshop for MA Students, Goldsmiths Textile Collection/Constance Howard Gallery, London, January 2023
Courtauld Cast Podcast, Episode 4, August 2022
‘McQueens Annual Illuminating Objects Seminar’ Courtauld Research Forum, Online Talk, June 2021
Fashions & Embodiment’, Online Talk for MA Students, Goldsmiths Textile Collection, January, 2021
‘Repair as Everyday Activism’, Women's History Month Event Goldsmiths, Online Talk, April 2021
‘Drawing Documenter’ Unpicking Fashion Constellations Workshop, Constance Howard Gallery, London, January 2020
Residencies
Dumfries House - September 2024
Dumfries House - April- May 2023
Moritz-Haymen, Pigano, Tuscany, Italy, July 2022
Publications/Press
https://costumesociety.org.uk/blog/post/unseen-threads-drawing-textiles-and-garments-in-archives
‘Field Notes for Design’ Volume 1 - Illustrations from fields notes in ‘Paper Visit’ publication for project called ‘Seat Change.’ - Naho Matsuda , Juliet Sprake, Charis Poon, 2021
‘How To Make When You Have Lost' - Sophie-Nicole Dodds, 2021
‘Paper Visits’ - Sophie-Nicole Dodds, with letters from Tara Plummer, 2020
‘Inanimate Placement’ - Sophie-Nicole Dodds & Jess Frankland, 2016
Education
The Drawing Year - Royal Drawing School, 2021- December 2022
MA: Design Expanded Practice - Goldsmiths, 2020
BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring - University of Arts London, London College of Fashion, 2016
Foundation Art & Design - Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology, 2012