Madelaine Rose Walker

Urban Sirens is a hand embroidered streetwear cape created by Madelaine Rose, inspired by the Cornish folklore tale The Mermaid of Zennor. The story, which tells of a mysterious mermaid who falls in love with a human, connects deeply to Madelaine Rose’s Cornish heritage and her interest in reimagining myth through contemporary embroidery. The piece combines traditional craftsmanship with modern, urban influences to reflect the merging of old and new storytelling forms.

Constructed from blue denim and digitally printed graffiti fabrics, the cape features a detailed mermaid tail with 138 flat scales and 19 three dimensional wired scales. Each is individually crafted and embellished with hand cut tin cans, symbolising transformation and environmental awareness. Goldwork techniques such as passing, felt padding and metal thread couching are combined with crewel work in red, blue and white stranded cotton, stumpwork and intricate beading using vintage glass bugle beads and silver seed beads. Hand stitched sentences from The Mermaid of Zennor and embroidered music notes are worked into the design, linking narrative and song. Through Urban Sirens, Madelaine Rose explores identity, heritage and modern craftsmanship, transforming folklore into a vibrant and wearable artwork that celebrates both self expression and traditional skill.