Gwenllian Jones has a wardrobe full of items collected over a quarter of a century from her travels and whilst living abroad. Due to her husband's work with the United Nations, she has lived in countries such as Uganda, Kenya, the Gulf and Bangladesh but has also visited many more countries. Her liking of materials and handmade items which use plenty of embroidery has influenced her wardrobe. Every time she travels, it's an excuse to bring something new back.
Nia: What sparked your interest in clothes and fabrics?
Gwenllian: I like fabrics. I like touching them. I like colours. I'm not sure where the interest came from other than maybe the fact that I had a great great grandfather who was a tailor. That's the only connection I can think of. Having said that, I've always had an interest in clothes anyway but I could never find any clothes I liked. During my college years, I used to buy fabric and sew my own dresses by hand. I never use a sewing machine, I prefer sewing by hand. They were fairly messy garments. Then, when I went to Uganda to live and when things got out of hand there, I spent a lot of my time in a hotel garden with a three-month-old baby. That's when I noticed the Indian style clothes in the hotel shop which were so nice. So, I thought I'd try to make something similar for myself. I made a waistcoat with flowers all-over without a pattern. I much prefer working like that.
Nia: Are your clothes like postcards that remind you of the countries you've visited?
Gwenllian: Yes, but clothes speak a thousand words, a postcard only speaks a few. There's background and history to the clothes that you wear. I always take an extra bag with me on my travels to buy things but I don't know what for because I don't wear all of the clothes I buy! When I was in India last, I had to buy an extra bag. I can't wait to go to Morocco later this year so I can buy one of those dish dashers to flaunt around in. I love wearing long dresses around the house during the summer.
Nia: How would you define your style?
Gwenllian: I don't have a specific kind of style. My husband always used to say you don't have any proper clothes, you've only garments, just things that look like tents unlike other women! When we went to Katmandu, Nepal, I saw lots of dresses hanging in shop windows but I didn't buy any of them. Then, when my husband returned there, he brought one back for me. You can see the peacock in the pattern. All of the patterns follow the same kind of form and there's the shishas of course. They say the shishas will help you if the devil comes after you – if he sees himself in one of the reflective shishas he will turn away.
Gwenllian: I like messy people, I'm a very messy person. I can't stand these people that are perfectionists. I like people that sew messily with threads hanging on the inside of the garment. I love this hem.
Gwenllian: I bought this in Kuwait but I'm not sure where it was made. Maybe Pakistan or Egypt but I'd definitely say a Muslim country. I've had the dress for a quarter of a century and the eyes on the garment do the same job as the little mirrors or 'shishas'.
Gwenllian: My husband's friend was working in Afghanistan and he bought these two dresses for his daughters. When they grew out of them, they were given to Loli, our daughter. They were made in Kabul, I think, and they are gorgeous. The embroidery was done by hand. There's shishas on these too and you'd wear the dresses to go to parties.
Nia: How about your orange suit?
Gwenllian: I bought the suit in Uganda on my last visit. Oh! It was expensive, I can't tell you how much I paid for it, I'm ashamed. I had never seen such a shop in all of my life. I knew I wouldn't be able to come out without buying something. I didn't try the suit on or anything and I've never even worn it. My son was living with his girlfriend in Botswana at the time and I'd had a dream that they'd be married in Botswana. I thought this orange suit would be perfect as an outfit for the wedding. I remember thinking at the time, what would be better than this? Sean Bean dressed in a white dress like Laurence of Arabia – that was the fantasy at the time – or this orange suit and I thought to myself, this suit. The wedding didn't take place in Botswana so I haven't worn the suit yet, although, I've worn the scarf over another outfit.
Nia: This is my idea of heaven. There are things from all over the world here. This one is from Africa, made from nuts I think...
Nia: ...and then there's another bracelet which is filled with rice...
Nia: ...and one from Nepal that Gwenllian was given as a birthday present from her husband...
Nia: ...There's even one from a little shop in Llandudno...
Nia: You love jewellery Gwenllian?
Gwenllian: My eyes are always drawn towards anything that shines. My husband used to call me a 'poor man's Elizabeth Taylor'. I wear about six necklaces together, I love them. It's not unusual for me to have a headache sometimes because they are so heavy to wear.
Nia: What if all of these clothes disappeared tomorrow? How would you feel about that?
Gwenllian: 'Gutted' as these footballers say!
- Wednesdays 20:25