Rachel and Ali are long term friends and since the last few years have also become business partners, founding Something Made. They met at the University of Nottingham while studying Architecture, and then moved to London together.
Rachel continued her architectural studies at the University of Westminster, before going on to work for a design-led practice. Ali worked in interior design and styling.
In 2013 their creativity took a different path, moving into silkscreen printmaking with a specialisation in Event and Wedding Stationary.
As they told me “It was quite an ‘organic’ process. Friends and relatives asked us to help with the creative aspects of their weddings - it grew from there”.
They love to find inspiration far and wide – when they travel or, more often than not, the things we pass in our everyday lives. Patterns, vibrant colours and graphical fonts are always key elements in their work.
They love experimenting with techniques to complement the effects that it is possible to achieve with screen printing. They recently launched an origami design in a choice of colours, and cards which has been very popular. For them, it all comes down to getting the simple things right - good quality card and carefully considered colours make all the difference.
Talking about weddings it is beautiful to see the personal touch as “every couple has their own unique story to celebrate”. An example of this is evident in one of their latest designs: a set of passport invitations. “It was a lovely project, the card and ink combinations were stunning and it included so many personal elements for the couple”.
