Riina O made gloves for the Lady Mayoress of London

For many years The Glovers Company of London has been running the student glove design competition to encourage practical and innovative glove design among young people. The winner for 2018 competition of gloves for the Lady Mayoress was Ruvarashe Claudia Torto from Manchester Metropolitan University. I had the chance to meet her in person at the formal Glovers luncheon in a City of London Livery Hall back in July, when she and the other winners were awarded.

Riina O was later commissioned to make these gloves of the beautiful blue and yellow cabretta leather. The outstanding pair was presented to the Lady Mayoress by the Glovers last weekend at the Lord Mayor´s Show. It has been a great honour to be part of this exciting project.

The pair of gloves was a very timely present, as plenty of waving was required off the Lady Mayoress on this cold but bright November day of ancient carnival procession.

Lord Mayor´s Show is a colourful and fun annual festival with the history of more than 800 years. Traditionally the newly elected Lord Mayor of London has been rowing, riding or marching off to the distant village of Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown and begin his or her year in office. Over the centuries that journey became known as the Lord Mayor’s Show. It has been a medieval carnival, a renaissance spectacle and a military parade, and it is still one of the longest splendid civic procession in the world.