Subscribe to receive 10% OFF your first purchase and hear about new collections and Archive Sales
Ecclesiastical
Restored silk damasks originating from the churches and cathedrals of 18th century France and Italy. These beautifully woven panels once formed liturgical garments for vestments and chasubles worn to denote position and mark ceremonial celebrations. As textiles of significant importance, they were well-cared for, preserving the intricate gilt needlework and rich floriated motifs that were typical of the French and Italianate clergy during this period. Repurposed for new wearers, shades of gold, burgundy wine, and green are softened with neutral beiges and browns and hand-sewn into ornate patchworks.
Fringe Froth
Creating a thing of beauty from something previously left to wilt is our guiding motif. As one of our largest zero-waste projects, Fringe Froth utilises the once-discarded trims of antique silk piano shawls, which often became tangled and damaged during export from East Asia to the West. In Walid’s hands, this collection of distressed tassels adds an incredibly tactile and playfully captivating movement to designs. The advantage is in the unknown, in that each thread differs slightly according to composition and finish, producing an entirely unique effect in the dyeing process.
Piano Shawl
Crafted from heavily embroidered silk broadcloth in an array of colourful shades, piano shawls were originally designed as decorative coverings to keep the wood and keys free from scratches and dust. By the 1920s Jazz Age and the influence of Orientalism in Western fashion design, they were adopted as an elegant alternative to evening dress jackets when gowns became sleeveless and cut low at the back. In transforming these historical textiles for future wear, this is one of our most versatile fabrics, which becomes anything from lightweight tops to bedecked swing coats in artfully matched tones.
Dark Victorian
The start of the Romantic movement in the late Victorian age brought in a sophisticated palette of poetically moody black and inky shades. This collection of 19th century Victorian and Edwardian textiles comprises panels of plush silk and velvet – a fabric that encapsulates the era's pursuit of aesthetic richness. Renewed into hand-stitched patchworks at our studio in London, focus is drawn to fanciful embellishments such as Venetian glass buttons sourced from Murano and faceted jet beading, reflecting the affinity for intricate detailing and elevated textures during this period.
19th Century Chinese Silk
Signature textiles to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), our collection of resplendent 19th-century Chinese silk chronicles a rich storytelling culture. The rarest of these are yellow in hue – the symbolic colour of the five great Emperors – and include the ‘Forbidden’ or Peking stitch, which was solely reserved for use by the master embroiderers of the Forbidden City, the historical seat of the Imperial household in Beijing. Each piece displays stylised depictions of flora, fauna and family life revealed in intricately laid out scenes, and is meticulously restored and repurposed into contemporary cuts that highlight the impeccable craftsmanship.