Design History

What Is It About Textiles?

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Emma Neuberg

The textiles industry and its industrial legacy is central to the Industrial Revolution and capitalist dynamics expressed through cloth. We invite textile researchers to write a history of the industrial legacy of the textiles industry from the eighteenth century to today. Please contact us if this is something you’re interested in participating in.

There is an article here on the aftermath of the Rana Plaza building collapse (April 2013) and a book on the history of child labour in the British textiles industry here.

MODERNISM IN 4th CENTURY TEXTILES

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Emma Neuberg

Linen and wool tapestry, detail, third to fourth century AD, Egypt.

Linen and wool tapestry, detail, fourth to fifth century AD, Egypt.

Linen and wool tapestry, detail, fifth to sixth century AD, Egypt.

Lunar Deity, wool embroidery on linen, detail, third to fourth century AD, Egypt.

For more information on these extrordinarily modern-looking Egyptian wool and linen weaves and embroideries go here.

Plus ça change

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Emma Neuberg

Summer Sales,
digital surface pattern inspired by Horace Taylor’s 1926 poster,
Emma Neuberg, 2011.

Horace Taylor,

The Electric Railway Company,
London, 1926

This is British designer, Horace Taylor‘s poster (animated by Emma Neuberg) encouraging women in the suburbs to get into town via the London Underground and “buy British”!

Taking a closer look at the ladies’ hats (especially the one on the far right), and the designs on sale, they pre-date Nathalie du Pasquier’s postmodern designs for Memphis by fifty years. (Not to mention nu rave).

Here they have been rearranged to create a digital narrative with history and humour. The experiments continue..

Summer Sales Circle,
digital surface pattern inspired by Horace Taylor’s 1926 poster,
Emma Neuberg, 2011

A GREAT BRITISH FLORAL PRINT MOMENT

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Emma Neuberg

Mary Katrantzou, 2011.

Holly Fowler, 2011.

We’re having a flora and fauna escapist day celebrating some of the wondrous digital prints coming from British designers in 2011.

Building upon a tradition of floral regalia, all these Central Saint Martins’ graduates are breaking new ground not only taking the genre to new heights but transforming the silhouette.