Warren Reilly Photographed by Rachel Lum at The Fashioning Our History Press Launch at The Library at Willesden Green in the summer of 2021.

Who is Warren Reilly?

Born the child of a Carpenter (Mark Anthony Reilly) and a Teaching Assistant / Fashion Illustrator (Rosalyn Emily Smith) on August 25th 1997 in Park Royal, Warren Reilly is a 25-year-old, award-winning queer, mixed-race artist, designer and historian from the London Borough of Brent. Warren grew up on the notorious Church End Estate, but his passion for art and fashion became the perfect form of escapism. Warren shares a close relationship with his Mother, who would often take him to museums and exhibitions during his school holidays, the V&A Museum of Childhood was one of their favourite locations to visit.

Warren first studied Art and Design at Queens Park Community School during his GCSEs and A Levels. During this period, he was educated at some of the country's most prestigious art institutions such as The Royal Academy of Art (Attract programme 2014) and Central Saint Martins (UAL) (The Album Project 2015 in collaboration with Autograph) through crucial enrichment programmes to encourage young art students from working class and ethnic minority backgrounds to pursue a career in the creative industry.

During his A Levels, Warren’s first experience working within the Heritage Sector was working as a Volunteer Room Explainer at Kenwood House for English Heritage, where he was trusted to protect the Collection of The Iveagh Bequest (which includes priceless works of art by artists such as Vermeer and Rembrandt) while also ensuring visitors felt welcomed and informed regarding the history of Kenwood. This is where Warren’s love of 18th-century art, design and culture solidified.

After completing his Art Foundation at Kingston University in 2016, Warren studied Textiles In Practice at Manchester School of Art starting the course in 2017. During his Degree, Warren was a highly engaged member of the ‘Life on The Outskirts’ Project, a creative initiative led by The Helen Storey Foundation. His Experience at Kenwood never left his mind. His 2018 Dissertation subject ‘Pageboys to Protégés’ was directly inspired by the famous portrait of an extraordinary mixed-race woman, Dido Elizabeth Belle painted by David Martin who lived at Kenwood with her relatives, The Mansfield family. Warren developed his own unique perspective and compared this to the research of other established historians such as Amber Butchart, questioning how fashion within classical British portraiture and Victorian photography can be used to re-evaluate the history of ethnic minorities in colonial Britain. In 2019, Warren graduated from MMU with a First Class Degree for his outstanding achievements.

Since graduating from University, Warren has been a trailblazer, leading crucial creative/social initiatives that have inspired his community during the global pandemic. In 2020, Warren Successfully obtained funding From The Mayor Of London to produce the Fashioning Our History Project, as part of Brent 2020 : London Borough of Culture. The project was designed to support young emerging artists and designers aged 12 - 22 and encouraged diversity in the London Borough of Brent and beyond through the creation of a wearable piece of art inspired by the classic silhouette of the 18th-century mantua gown as a symbol of social change. The project saw him receive The Pride of Brent Award for the second time in his career. His efforts were recognised throughout the borough as he was also awarded a 2-year rent-free residency with Artists’ Studio Company in Alperton between 2021-2023.

Warren was yet again successful in his bid application to the Being Brent Heritage for Wellbeing Fund 2021 funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to produce The By The Cut of Their Cloth Exhibition, which explores 300 years of Brent’s Mixed Race and Multicultural History in Collaboration with the digital museum and archive The Mixed Museum, Directed by Dr Chamion Caballero. As of Autumn 2022, Warren has now been named the Museum’s Associate Creative Director. The project was also a personal achievement, using the power of DNA ancestry (with thanks to 23andme) to further connect the dots of his mixed-race heritage by studying his own family archive while understanding the impact that Colonialism had on his family’s genealogy through their migration as a result of the Transatlantic Slave Trade from Africa to Jamacia during the 18th Century. (Visit the BTCOTC Exhibition to find out more)

Image Source: Warren Reilly Photographed by Rachel Lum at The Fashioning Our History Press Launch at The Library at Willesden Green in the summer of 2021.

The short film, ‘Being Brave’, celebrates themes of home and identity in Brent, through the eyes of three local artists: Yasmin Nicholas, Magda Kuca and Warren Reilly. Part of the Being Brent community project from Brent Museum and Archives. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This film has been produced, directed, filmed, and edited by estefaniarodriguez.films

“Warren believes that fashion is an invaluable tool that enables us all to unlock untold stories of unrecorded / underrepresented individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds.” - 2022

CV

Born: August 25th 1997 Central Middlesex Hospital - Park Royal, London, UK
Currently lives and works in The London Borough of Brent - UK

Education

Fashion Technology Academy (September 2021 - October 2021)

Pattern Cutting ABC Awards Level 1 - Award Fashion and Textiles (500/4308/0) @ Funded by the GLA

Manchester Metropolitan University at Manchester School of Art (2016-2019)

Textiles In Practice BA (Hons) : First Class Bachelors Honours Degree

Kingston University (2015-2016)

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design : Merit

Central Saint Martins (September 2015 - June 2016)

The ‘Album Project’ with ABP Autograph

The Royal Academy of Art (October 2014- September 2015)

The Attract Programme

Queens Park Community School (2008 - 2015)

A Level (2015) : Art and Design (A) Photography ( A*) Media studies (A) English literature (B)

GCSE (2013) : 10 GCSE’s A-C including English Literature, English Language, Mathematics, Humanities, Science,

Art, Media studies, Graphics and ICT

Work Experience

The Mixed Museum (August 2021 - Present)

Associate Creative Director

Victoria and Albert Museum (May 2022 - Present)

Retail Supervisor

Hennes and Mauritz (H&M) - (September 2017 - May 2022)

Sales Advisor and New Starters Mentor

Awards

Creative Industry Award (Finalist) Nominated as Best Director (2022)

Artists Studio Company 2-year Rent-Free Studio Residency (2021-2023)

Pride of Brent Award (2020) Nominated for Fashioning Our History

Vogue Talents Portfolio Review (2020)

The Weavers Factory Award - The Joan Charnley Textile Prize (2019-2020)

Presentation at York Fashion Week - Selected by Creat_Hive (2019)

FDCYDA - Young Designer of the Year Award (Runner Up) (2018 - 2019)

‘Life on the Outskirts’ in partnership with The Helen Storey Foundation (2017 - 2019)

Pride of Brent Award - Nominated by QPCS (2014)

Internships

Twisted Tailor (January 2020 - March 2020)

Design Intern and Admin Assistant

IA London & Fashion Scout @ London Fashion Week (July 2019 - February 2020)

Catwalk Show Assistant & Brand Representative

Christopher Farr Cloth (June 2018 - August 2018)

Design Intern, Admin Assistant & Sales Assistant

Keeler Gordon Studio (May 2018)

Printed Textiles Studio Design Assistant

Mahogany Carnival Arts (2013-2015)

Assistant Costume Maker and Pattern Cutter

Conferences and Talks

*Upcoming Event* - ‘FASHION, CELEBRITY AND CULTURES OF THE GEORGIAN COURT’ - Presenting research exploring the fashions of Dido Elizabeth Belle at the ‘Crown to Couture’ Exhibition symposium at Kensington Palace (5-6 Sept 2023)
‘Glittering Ambition & Positions Within the Hierarchy’ (In Honour of the Coronation of King Charles III) - Brent Culture Service at Kilburn Library (4th May 2023)
‘By the Cut of Their Cloth - Fashion as Memory and Links to Historical Dress’ at Manchester Metropolitan University - The Association of Dress Historians Annual New Research Conference 2023 (21st April 2023)
‘By The Cut of their Cloth – 300 Years of Mixed Race & Multicultural History’ At The Willesden Local History Society, St Mary’s Church Community Centre with Dr Chamion Caballero, Director of The Mixed Museum (20th October 2022)
‘By The Cut of their Cloth – 300 Years of Mixed Race & Multicultural History’ - Brent Culture Service at Kilburn Library (5th October 2022)
Change Comes From All Corners - at V&A South Kensington as part of The Great Exhibition Road Festival Invited by Dan Vo, founder of award-winning volunteer-led V&A LGBTQ+ Tours (19 June 2022)
‘Warren Reilly - My Creative Jouney’ at Graduate Fashion Week - Invited by Nicola Hitchens, Director and Head of Special Projects (23rd June 2022)
Fashioning our History - Documentary Launch and Panel discussion with Film Maker, Matilda Davey at The Lexi Cinema, Kensal Rise (25th September 2021)
Fashioning Our History Documentary Preview and panel discussion with Director Izotta Reichenbach at Their Story Film Festival (31st July 2021)
‘Fashioning our History - TODAY’ - An Instagram Live Series, As part of the Fashioning our History Project showcasing artists and designers from Brent and Beyond for Brent 2020 - London Borough of Culture. (Summer 2021)
‘Pageboys to Protégés - Three Centuries of Style’ - For Brent 2020 London Borough of Culture - Brent Culture Service at Kilburn Library (3rd February 2021)

Funded Projects

Awarded £3000 (2020-2021) by the Mayor of London and Brent Council to produce ‘Fashioning Our History’ - Brent 2020 London Borough of Culture as Creative Director and Funded Producer.

Awarded £5000 (2021-2022) from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to produce ‘By The Cut Of Their Cloth’ (In Partnership with The Mixed Museum) - The Being Brent Heritage for Health and Wellbeing Fund as Creative Director and Funded Producer.

Awarded £5000 (2022 - 2023) Funded by the GLA, supported by Brent Council to receive business consultancy from Upsite London as part of the “Church End - High Streets for All” Challenge, a key initiative within the Church End Regeneration Programme, where Warren Reilly has been invited to participate in on a community committee partnership helping to steer the development of the local area as a resident for over 25 years.

Awarded £300 (2023) by the Pasold Research Activity Grant and the Director of The Fund, Dr Stana Nenadic at the University of Edinburgh. Awarded to fund conference attendance to present research from ‘By the Cut of Their Cloth’ at Manchester Metropolitan University for The Association of Dress Historians Annual New Research Conference 2023.

* Total Funds Awarded to Warren Reilly as of 2023 = £13,300*