Discover the craft and skill behind each of our products, from Sabina's intricate hand-drawn illustrations, through our hand-hemmed scarves, to our hand-finished garments, every Sabina Savage piece has an artisanal story to tell.
The short film below will transport you on a journey behind the scenes of our fully UK-based manufacture, offering a closer look at the dedication and expertise demonstrated at every stage of our production process.
BEHIND THE BRAND
Founded in 2014, Sabina Savage offers elaborate, heritage-inspired prints on exquisite scarves and clothing. Each design is hand drawn by Sabina, and each of our products is made in the UK. Our studio is based in the heart of creative east London, which Sabina shares with her small team, her rescue dog Ginger, and her rescue cat Panther.
As the sole creative force of the brand, all research, illustration, colour, text, garment patterns and print placements are conceptualised and created by Sabina, offering a unique aesthetic and a singular vision.
The brand focuses on original storytelling and exceptional craftsmanship.
THE CONCEPTION OF A COLLECTION
Sabina’s design process begins in her London studio with an extensive research period. Every design is heavily based around the learnings gleaned during this exploratory phase, from the overarching narrative to the tiniest details within each illustration. The first days of research are spent exploring museums, libraries and galleries nationwide, searching for a tinder to strike the first spark. Objects and embroideries are observed, paintings and palettes are perused, and delicate details are devoured until the twinkling of an incipient flame begins to glimmer.
Visual references are vitally important, but heavy, written books form a weighty element of this investigative chapter, particularly those containing essays on a specific element of the chosen topic. Sabina takes copious hand-written notes, and these form a constant reference point once the illustration phase begins.
Inspiration embers aglow, the designer will often reach out to notable academics or experts in their field for assistance with a specific topic or to view rare manuscripts. For example, for the A Tale of Tibet collection, Sabina was fortunate enough to share in the knowledge and wisdom of Namgyal L. Takla, sister-in-law to the Dalai Lama, who in turn connected her with The Tibet Museum in Dharamsala, India.
With all study collateral collated, the physical moodboard is next to breathe life into the glowing cinders. As a visual culmination of Sabina’s learnings, it forms a patchwork tapestry of detail and colour, bringing every element of the research together. At this point, the embers combust into a flame, the narrative arc is illuminated and the shape of a collection begins to appear in the smoke.
ILLUSTRATION & IMAGINATION
Following the research period, Sabina continues her design process from the comfort of her London studio. Contrary to the working process of many artists, Sabina does not produce preparatory sketches or studies before beginning her final illustrations; time is tight and deadlines are pressing so preliminary work begins directly on the page for each drawing.
The designer’s tools have remained steadfastly consistent for each work throughout the past decade; a heavy watercolour paper, an eraser and a mechanical 2B pencil, preferred for the quality of staying sharp throughout. To begin each design, a square border is boxed out, defining the edges of what is to become the final scarf. A simple, loose outline of a composition will be suggested, drawn at arms-length with a view to balancing the proportions of the illustration within its confines. This stage is usually repeated several times, erased and re-drawn, until a satisfactory equilibrium is found. This is when the intricate pencil work begins.
When settling in to illustrate the details and protagonist of each design, Sabina always commences with the focal character, and more specifically, an eye. The eye is the key to the personality, mood and narrative of each drawing. The design is built outwards from this point, the artist adding details as she works, referencing her comprehensive research notes and inspiration images all the while.
Sabina often listens to audiobooks on her chosen subject while working, fleshing out the story of the collection as she draws. Each pencil illustration takes between four to six weeks to complete, depending on its complexity. The artist likens her experience of the illustration process to an archaeological dig; it is as though the final design already exists beneath the surface of the paper, and her task is to gently and methodically uncover it, without causing damage in the process.
CONVERSION TO COLOUR
Once all three illustrations for a collection are complete, they are digitally scanned using a specialist fine art machine. This ensures every detail is captured, down to the finest, softest hairline strokes of graphite, capturing the truest representation possible of each drawing.
After scanning, Sabina uses a large-format screen and digital pencil to clean up and neaten the edges of the drawing, spending around five days on this process per illustration. When enlarged, a graphite pencil line has a raw, uneven edge which requires refinement for printing, so this stage is vital to ensure a crisp finish for the final scarves.
Following this, the designs are ready for colour. Sabina uses the digital pen to colour the designs ‘by hand’, directly onto the screen, allowing the texture and detail of the graphite illustrations to remain visible on top, the hero of the final design.
The pen is intuitive, sensitive to the artist’s pressure, style and stroke, meaning the layers of colour and texture are almost as detailed as the graphite layer above, particularly in densely detailed areas such as foliage, feathers and fur.
SUSTAINABLE SCARF PRODUCTION
Once completed, the colour illustrations are digitally printed; This method is more environmentally friendly than traditional screen-printing, using far less water, and our UK-based printing machines use solar power.
Sabina chooses to work with natural, high-quality fabrics, namely silk, wool, and cashmere, echoing the themes and natural reverence in her work through her choice of materials.
The printed fabrics are handed to a team of highly skilled UK artisans who hand-roll, stitch or hand-fringe the edges of the design, finishing each scarf in its final form.
CREATING THE CLOTHING
Every season, Sabina designs a capsule collection of clothing to accompany the scarves. She turns her intricate illustrations into elaborate 'placement' prints, meaning each detail of the design sits in a specified place on the garment, and the print is therefore thoughtfully engineered around the body, creating a flattering and aesthetic arrangement.
The complexity of creating a placement print entails working alongside cutters and craftspeople who share Sabina's vision and understand the finished article, alongside maintaining the high manufacture quality for which the brand is renowned.
Sabina goes to great lengths in creating technical packs for the workshop showing where each piece must be cut and where the print on each seam should join. Every panel of each garment is then hand-cut and joined individually.
All of our clothing is printed in the UK and assembled and finished in London in extremely limited quantities. The process is laborious and time-consuming, but allows for an exquisite finish.
THE MAKING OF SABINA SAVAGE
We are dedicated to celebrating craftsmanship, quality and authenticity in everything we do and are delighted to highlight this in our short film.
EXPLORE SABINA SAVAGE
SABINA'S HISTORY
Sabina Savage launched her eponymous brand in 2014 and has since grown the label organically. Find out more about her story.
a savage kingdom
A Savage Kingdom is a culmination of the first ten years of the brand, exploring the stories behind Sabina's exquisite hand-drawn illustrations, informed by nature, myth and history.
LATEST COLLECTION
Explore the inspiration behind each collection, discover the intricate, hand drawn illustrations and shop your favourites