About

Kate’s iconic Lustre Glass dress, a collaboration with Fashion Designer Jacob Kimmie, and modeled by Supermodel Alec Wek at London Fashion Week in September 2008, was the focus of her range of couture accessories launched at Origin 2008.

The 'Bullet' dress was one of two unique couture dresses showcased at London Fashion Week, September 2008. The 'Bullet' and 'Marble' dresses are the result of 6 months hand embellishment work. The Bullet dress consists of over 7000 hand wrapped Lustre glass and crystal tubes while the other uses over 8000 hand wrapped marbles - weighing over 4 stone in weight!

Kate has gained high recognition for her work from top London fashion houses recently having her neck pieces selected by Selfridges in London, April 2008. They were dressed in the famous stores windows in a work entitled ‘Storm’ that also featured designers Alexandra McQueen and Stella McCartney. The Storm display used ships rigging and lobster pots for the shipwreck theme.

Kate's Mink coloured Wrapped Pearl Neck Piece was one of three designer products short listed in the Luxury Products category for the Birmingham Design Initiative (BDI) Industry and Genius Awards held at Millennium Point Birmingham in November 2007, hosted by TV celebrity Tony Robinson. The awards, held since 1989, are to raise awareness of the importance and value of outstanding design in the West Midlands.


Kate graduated from Birmingham City University in 2006 with a First Class Honours Degree in Textile Design and began her company, Kate Mead Designs, in July 2006.

Victorian feminine garments and accessories inspire Kate’s work and they are also an area of passion and personal interest. The traditional techniques and feminine nature of her designs stem from these interests.

“I have always loved visiting and rummaging through antique shops to find hidden treasures. They are often not worth great amounts but have amazing stories or history attached to them. Old photographs fascinate and inspire me, they depict strangers from the past with a history to study.”