Professional upcycling studio owner Tracey Horan originally hails from Yorkshire, but now lives in the beautiful surroundings of East Sussex with her partner, two university-age daughters and their dog. Her love of textiles has been with her for as long as she can remember and after becoming aware of the possibilities as well as the benefits of upcycling in the early 2000’s, she created a business producing unusual and unique items which also support the circular economy concept. Alongside running Dolly Fixtures, Tracey is currently studying for a Master’s Degree at the University of Brighton, the course having an emphasis on the use of recycled fabrics, particularly denim.

Wanting to buy a secondhand mannequin to help resell clothes on Ebay led Tracey Horan to a business. Tracey began to look into the sale and resale of secondhand mannequins and found numerous ex-retail mannequins available which had been subject to minor damage or simply no longer of a style required by High Street shops. She soon developed an eye for recreating mannequins into functional, often artistic, statement lighting and furniture, clad in unusual fabrics, suitable for both commercial and residential premises. Today, with a thriving business selling her own collections as well as working on commissions, she also rents out her upcycled mannequin statues for use at a wide variety of events, including festivals, business launches and theatre productions. Dolly Fixtures also host workshops reusing denim to create other-worldly floral stems for interior decoration, is a member of the House of Upcycling and exhibits products at various national and international shows including Clerkenwell Design Week and Design London.

Website: www.dollyfixtures.co.uk