Wednesday 21 March 2012

Art-iculate: Designing Women, post-war British textiles

Last week I visited the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey to view the new exhibition, Designing Women: post-war British textiles.
 
Day
At the forefront of international textile design during the 1950s and 1960s three women in particular spearheaded a movement seeing art combine with manufacturing to revolutionise the landscape of the design industry as we know it today; Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Groag and Marian Mahler.
Day
With the bulk of the exhibition space devoted to these three inspirational and ground-breaking women I was in textile and female trailblazer heaven. Renowned for their fresh and provocative designs, recognisable by bold pattern and saturated colour, this new wave of bold textile designers helped to bring the influences of the art world, in refreshing and largely abstract forms, into the contemporary home on a mass scale.
Day
By partnering with progressive textile manufacturers and wholesale firms (like Heal’s + Son and David Whitehead Ltd), Day, Groag and Mahler were central in maintaining Britain’s preeminent position in textile design. The introduction of new technologies juxtaposed with inventive design helped these companies transform the home furnishing market by inspiring new product lines that are elegant yet artistic, and most importantly affordable.
Leaving a lasting impression on the state of contemporary domestic interiors in the UK, the legacy of Day in particular is staggering. Widely regarded as one of the most prolific British textile designers of the last century, I remember being at school, studying textiles for GCSE and not realising for quite some time that the imminent Lucienne Day was in fact a woman (something I look back on now as a good thing – her gender didn’t detract from her ability).
Day ('Calyx' pictured left)
Perhaps Day’s most recognisable work, which propelled her signature style into the global consciousness as a bold example of British avant-garde is ‘Calyx’, which was presented at the 1951 Festival of Britain. A milestone in 20th Century design, ‘Calyx’ in particular heralded a turning point in textile production, fusing fine art and fabric for the first time on a grand scale.

Of her work Day said: “I was very interested in modern painting, although I did not want to be a painter. I put my inspiration from painting into my textiles”.

‘Calyx’ was so well received at home and abroad that it went on to embody the period of innovation in British textile design, and became something war-weary Britons could take as a symbol for a bright optimistic future.

Specialising in home furnishings such as wallpaper, carpets and ceramics, Day worked extensively with Heal’s for decades and they are still to this day the go-to manufacturer for consumers looking to incorporate (retro) contemporary design elements into their interior décor.
Another fantastic designer of this era is Marian Mahler who made the use of roller-painting processes mainstream, enabling print designs to be produced quickly on rayon and cotton. Deftly combining the artistry of illustration with the technicalities of textile design in the early 1950s, Austrian-born Mahler created delicate, whimsical figures and modern abstract forms, which each have a beautiful graphic quality that elevates the resulting prints from mere fabrics to elegant textile art.
Mahler
With a knack for creating affordable textiles with good, sophisticated design, Mahler was snapped up by manufacturer David Whitehead LTD, whom she designed exclusively for over several years, utilising domestic objects in a consciously modern way.
Mahler
One of my favourite textile prints on display in Designing Women: post-war British textiles is Mahler’s 1952 design ‘Untitled (mobiles)’. Inspired by modernist painters and sculptors this textile reflects Mahler’s affinity to my favourite abstract artist Alexander Calder. Geometric shapes are arranged in rhythmical patterns to create an avant-garde fabric that can enliven any modern interior.
Last but not least, the third designer currently under the spotlight at the Fashion and Textile Museum is Jacqueline Groag who worked across multiple design disciplines from furnishing textiles and dress fabric to wallpaper and carpets.
 
 Groag
Highly regarded for introducing a new genre of abstract, often whimsical patterns that appealed to consumers eager to abandon wartime austerity and strictures, before moving to London in 1939 Groag worked in Paris creating dress fabrics for revered brands such as Chanel.
 Groag
Other revolutionary textile artists exhibited are Paule Vézelay, Mary Warren and Mary White.
Vézelay
Paule Vézelay started out as a figurative painter in the 1920s before working as an abstract artist, and became the first female British artist to refer to her work as ‘pure abstraction’. Inspired by surrealist artists such as Jean Arp and Andre Masson, Vézelay’s work frequently features floating shapes and partially biomorphic forms.
 Warren
Influenced by the naturalistic patterns of William Morris and the flowers and fields of her childhood, Mary White produced stunning textile designs for Liberty’s and Heal’s. Unfortunately not much is documented about the life of Mary Warren; however her ground-breaking textile designs became synonymous with the elegance and fluency of manufacturers such as Heal’s.
White
Whatever you do and wherever you’re going this spring, Designing Women: post-war British textiles is a must-see exhibition that everyone who has an interest in design, interiors, fashion and British industry at large should explore.

Designing Women: post-war British textiles is showing until 16th June.

Friday 16 March 2012

Aldo 'Stay Cool' for SS12

A brand that always runs playful and eye-catching advertising campaigns is Canadian-based footwear giant Aldo.
Last summer they had Lily Donaldson playing with beach inflatables and this season sees legendary photographer Terry Richardson back behind the camera and international models Anais Pouliot and Mat Gordon taking centre stage.
Entitled ‘Stay Cool’, the SS12 video is directed by the established Barnaby Roper and viewed in conjunction with the iconic print campaign perfectly captures the spirit of summer.
*Imagery throughout courtesy of Surgery PR

Thursday 15 March 2012

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Lu Flux: A-Lu-Ha

As spring approaches Lu Flux’s fantastical Hawaiian prints seem fitting and mix two of the hottest macro and micro trends for SS12; pastels and patchwork.

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Tuesday 6 March 2012

LFW Diary AW12: Zoë Jordan

 
A designer who perfectly captured the care-free spirit of SS12 last season, wowed once again on the inaugural day of LFW last month. For her AW12 offering Zoë Jordan has drawn inspiration from the ancient and weathered lands of Andalucia, Spain.
Intermixing the romantic silhouettes, that stick in my mind from last season, with an urban and sporty slant, cocoon silhouettes dominated, while stand-out pieces such as origami structure studies of the Pompidou Centre in Paris caught the audience’s attention.
Opening the show with chunky knitwear, beautiful burnt umber and crimson wine softened the impact of sharp, graphic lines, while hand-sewn sequins, gold spun tweed and deconstructed skirt suits demonstrated ample skill.
Effortlessly blending kooky snakeskin jacquard and sharp prints with heavy lace and masculine tailoring, on paper there was a lot going on, in reality Jordan got the balance just right. A heady combination of androgynous and femininity and structured and languid no one does refined, off-beat and ethereal quite like Zoë Jordan.
Images throughout courtesy of Goodley PR

Monday 5 March 2012

Creative Idle mentioned on Yan To's blog

http://yantolife.blogspot.com/

LFW Diary AW12: Lako Bukia

Taking inspiration from broken mirrors and the conviction of belief in her homeland that looking into a broken mirror brings bad luck, Georgian designer Lako Bukia’s AW12 offering is a shimmering collection of sleek silvers and dominatrix blacks.
Entitled ‘Broken Mirrors’, Bukia plays on her trademark aesthetic for expert cutting, subtly mixed fabrics and bold use of colour to create strong and arresting silhouettes.
Featuring a plethora of sheer blacks juxtaposed with opaque fabrics and embroidery to represent cracked mirrors and shattered glass, the underlying theme is of self-belief and challenging one’s fears. Intricately combining tough leathers with delicate silks and chiffons, the AW12 collection boasts defined curves lent structure by pencil skirts, fitted trousers and dramatic dresses.
A more wearable collection – sure to be a hit with buyers – than perhaps we’ve seen in previous seasons, several shirts, skirts and cute shorts peppered a beguiling catwalk display that was above all else fun, demonstrating the talents of a yound designer who does not take herself too seriously.
Stand-out pieces include silver leather trousers, Silver wide-leg and high-waisted slacks, suede and sheer shirts and beautifully tailored jackets.
Images throughout courtesy of Felicities.

Friday 2 March 2012

LFW Diary AW12: Derek Lawlor

 
A striking designer I came across at LFW for the first time is Derek Lawlor. With a striking AW12 collection that focuses on the interplay between hard and soft, Lawlor builds on his signature form-fitting silhouettes embellished with unusual textures, introducing loose ladder and lace techniques that are reminiscent of delicate cobwebs.
Utilising a mixture of corduroy embellishment and knotted detailing, the results are breath-taking. Mixed yarns of mohair, cashmere and rayon combine to create a highly tactile range of dramatic designs in a monochrome palette accented by blood reds and moody greys.
Images throughout courtesy of Derek Lawlor

Thursday 1 March 2012

LFW Diary AW12: Simeon Farrar

Entitled ‘The Haunted House’ Simeon Farrar’s AW12 collection is exactly what I’ve come to expect from this multi-talented artist and designer. A perfect balance of fun prints, cute silhouettes and playful colours there is an eerie undercurrent to this offering that draws parallels between flickering candlesticks and decadent chandeliers and between cobwebs and ancient lace.
Towering, decrepit houses loom large with distant figures visible in the window, while monolithic skulls stare out with lifelike eyes. Portraying a series of ghosts as a happy-go-lucky group who skip and dance, ‘The Haunted House’ brings together an eclectic array of inspirations and characters who emerge from the shadow of vein-like tree branches or hide in the lining of leather bags.