Anja’s aim has been to elevate embroidery to a fine art level. Her 2010 QEST Scholarship supported her studies in Traditional Needlework at the Royal School of Needlework, where she gained her Certificate and Diploma, with Distinction, also winning the prize for Outstanding Technical Excellence.
Anja combines her embroidery expertise with a palimpsest of artistic skills. She graduated with an MA (with Distinction) in Fine Art from City & Guilds of London Art School in 2013, specialising in Oil Painting and Embroidery. Additionally, she completed a BA in Theatre Studies in 2000, followed by an apprenticeship in women’s tailoring at the prestigious Elise Topell Couture atelier in Germany. She worked as a tailor to Her Majesty the Queen throughout the Diamond Jubilee Year 2012 and has also worked as Visiting Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire.
Anja has exhibited her work internationally and works as Technical Director for Watts & Co. Ltd. She became a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Gold & Silver Wyre Drawers in 2021 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
