Eliza created Reality into Fantasy during the Chanel & King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Embroidery Fellowship in Partnership with le19M. The piece explores the intersection of memory and imagination. To Eliza, reality is an external experience, what is seen and understood. In contrast, fantasy is an internal one, shaped by the mind’s ability to transform and reinterpret place. Within this imagined realm, colour becomes fluid, perspective is distorted, and texture and tactility shift to form an altered visual experience.

Both the execution and concept of Reality into Fantasy demonstrate Eliza’s meticulous attention to detail, aiming to evoke a sense of wonder and guide the viewer into a couture fairytale. The work draws inspiration from the stumpery garden at Highgrove, a Japanese-influenced landscape. Its embroidery style responds to the ethereal and groundless qualities found in Japanese silk painting.

Eliza employs an earthy colour palette, tambour beading, beaded fringe, cascading couched chains, and hand-dyed silk organza appliqué to achieve subtle, painterly transitions. An appliqué frog nestled within embroidered foliage serves as a symbolic element, referencing its cultural significance in Japan and its natural presence within Highgrove’s ecosystem.

The artwork is realised on a wrap jacket, chosen as both garment and canvas, and designed to echo the form of the kimono, a traditional Japanese garment.