Incentive - John Gray Centre

The Incentive exhibition explores the relationship between the fishing and textile industries of East Lothian, and how these inspired Owen Edward Snaith’s eponymous London Fashion Week (June 2022) collection.

Named after the fishing boat of Edward Johnstone - who for decades braved the North Sea to provide for his family, it features textile samples from the historic fabric mills of East Lothian and archival fishing memorabilia from the Scottish east coast alongside pieces from the Incentive LFW collection they inspired.

An ode to the fishing communities that shaped so much of the region’s culture, the exhibition presents the product of collaborations between the craftspeople working to preserve its heritage in the modern age. Notable highlights include a kilt in the newly registered Incentive tartan, made out of 100% Scottish handwoven wool developed in collaboration with Alloa based weaver ‘Taffled Threads’ and local kiltmakers Gordon & Louise Nicolson of ‘Nicolsons Kiltmakers’.

Curated by Owen Edward Snaith and set up with the East Lothian Council museum archive’s support, the work documents the creative process underpinning his collection and his journey of self-exploration as a queer man navigating his way through a Scottish fishing town through the medium of Fashion.