British lifestyle brand, Signare, is delighted to present a new collection of its signature tapestry handbags and fashion accessories for Spring/Summer 19, produced under license from the V&A, the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance.
Taking inspiration from the museum’s archive, the new collection features the distinctive ‘Almond Blossom and Swallow’ wallpaper pattern designed by Walter Crane (1845–1915), a leading figure of the Aesthetic Movement and first President of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society. The delicate pink blossoms contrast beautifully with the fresh blue fabric, evocative of the cherry blossom festival in Japan or an English orchard in springtime.
The distinctiveness of Signare lies in the beautifully textured tapestry fabric the fashion accessories are crafted from. Decorative designs are brought to life through this distinctive medium, which has a long and fascinating history dating back to the Middle Ages. This unique textile provides a wonderfully tactile canvas for Walter Crane’s Almond Blossom and Swallow wallpaper, which was first displayed during the International Exhibition held in Paris in 1878 and awarded with a gold medal for design.
Signare has introduced Walter Crane’s intricate design onto a wide range of bag collections, from travel hand luggage to everyday shopping bag; formal and casual fashion handbag to handy cosmetic and glasses cases, ever a lovely cushion in the same tapestry fabric for home decoration. The broad range of products will allow Siganre brand fit into a wide range of retail sectors, from department store to museum gift shop, garden centre to heritage attractions, fashion boutiques to furniture and interior design stores.
Signare founder and chief designer, Cindy Qiu, says: “We are thrilled with our first licensed V&A collection featuring Walter Crane’s wonderful design, which translates so beautifully onto our tapestry material. The colour palette of ‘Almond Blossom and Swallow’ is ideal for the Spring/Summer season and makes the perfect complement to our existing range of fashion and home accessories”.
The art of tapestry making has been woven into a diverse range of cultures for thousands of years fulfilling practical, social and aesthetic functions. While the nature of design themes and the materials used vary across cultures and over time, the process of tapestry weaving has remained largely unchanged for millennia.
