Handle with Care

What happened

A love letter to her sisters, the collection began with a single object: a worn velvet handbag, pleated and appliquéd, heavy with memory. From this, Gemma Bartholomew built a world of nostalgia and emotional charge, crafting garments from dead-stock leather and cotton velvet, alongside silk mesh and natural dyes. Stencilled lace, sculptural silhouettes, and intricate leather work echo the chaos, glamour, and intimacy of growing up together. Every piece is as much about emotion as material — turning fragments of memory into lived-in, lasting garments.