About us

‘We start with white fabric...’ 

Sylvia Riley Designs started with a desire to make beautiful and elegant clothing using hand dyed fabric, sustainably.

Sylvia Riley is a master dyer and painter, specialising in resist dyeing techniques (Shibori, batik, silk painting), mordant printing and natural dyeing. A few years ago, faced with a growing pile of hand dyed fabrics, Sylvia turned to slow fashion. Each garment is made from hand dyed natural fabric, using ancient artisanal techniques learnt from master dyers across the globe. At present, each garment is designed, pattern-made, graded, cut and sewn in the Smithfield studio. The capsule collections are defined by dye technique. We produce the garments in short production runs to minimize waste as only as many garments as are required are produced.

Only the finest natural fibres are used in making these timeless and elegant garments. Quality professional finishing and attention to detail at every step of the making process, brings you a unique garment which has been lovingly crafted for you.

We welcome custom orders and commissions.