Phia

Run by Sophia Ingham, eco-designer and artist, Phia is proud to use only sustainable & recycled materials in each unique piece she creates.

Phia is an innovative clothing, accessories and soft furnishing design and textile business based near Bangor in North Wales. All original pieces are made from eco-fabrics - either recycled, organic, fair trade or remnants - and are designed and made with the utmost care and to the highest standards by designer /artist Sophia Ingham:

I was born in Hertfordshire into an artistic and creative family and moved to Wales as young child. My fascination with clothing and appearance began as early as I can remember, my mother taught me to sew and crochet and I began by making bonnets and dresses for our poor cat! When I was seven I was allowed to use the electric sewing machine and off I went! Making my dolls fancy ball-gowns, progressing to making elaborate dressing up clothes for myself and friends. I started my own seamstress business at 13, and was fortunate enough to attend a school where I could express myself through my appearance, concocting some weird and wonderful outfits for school projects, plays and peers.

I also had the privilege of travelling quite extensively in my youth which fed my creative cravings, visiting amazing places such as Australia and Japan opened my eyes to new and exotic cultures, colours and atmospheres. My mother's German design influence and fathers' meticulous attention to detail drove me to be creative and use my own strong design ethos in every aspect /facet /dimension of life

After leaving school, I studied Art and Design, progressing on to study Fashion and Textiles. Graduating with distinction, I set up my own business Phia Eco making exceptional & unique clothing from sustainable materials, plus offering alterations, repairs and rejuvenations along side soft furnishings and upholstery, all whilst raising a young family as a single mum!

As the children have grown, so has my freedom and I have worked with local designers, extensively studied eco-textiles and gained invaluable knowledge and skills of vanishing couture, sewing & upholstery techniques.

My passion is creating beautiful clothing and reducing waste: as an antitheses to the norm of today's disposable fashion industry I have made it my motto to recycle, rejuvenate and recreate, using no new materials in the garments I make. This ensures that every item is completely unique and individual, designed and manufactured to the highest quality using disappearing specialist techniques. I am now branching out into running clothing up-cycling workshops and teaching sewing skills, facilitating clothing waste awareness events, raising waste awareness and finally launching my Phia Ecouture Bridal line!