Last night I watched Britain's Next Best Thing on BBC 2, first in a series where top stores open their doors to the public to show off their ideas and products. Last nights program featured the Liberty 'Open Call Day'. Liberty's open their doors to the public to show their products to the top buyers in the hope of getting them in the world renowned store. I love the idea that Liberty makes it possible for the amateur, professional to recent graduate to have a chance of getting a viewing by the top buyers. I myself attended last years event only to be rejected! I realise now my product (digitally printed scarves) where not developed enough and still in the idea stage, with the price of digitally printing restricting my sampling process. This X factor process does make good TV and focuses on success but what about the hundreds of passionate designers that get rejected?
I was however delighted to watch Professor Richard Weston's scarves getting selected, with the program focusing on his delightful story of how his passion for nature has evolved throughout his work and now into textiles. Already having an established career in architecture and academia, Richard Weston love of nature ( he went grammar school in Leicester as David Attenborough) has extended through to fashion through purchasing a high quality scanner and scanning in his collection of precious minerals and rocks. As a result he has produced an amazing collection of digitally printed scarves now flying out the doors of Liberty's and sitting alongside the likes of Yves St Laurent, Missoni, Hermes, Stella McCartney. Keep watching the series to see Weston's production story unfold showing his scarves being digitally printed in Como.
Rock on Prof Weston !
Liberty
Earth
Richard Weston
I love Britain's Next Best Thing too!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Melanie for blogging it really has a ripple effect and has made an impression on me from inspiration to awe to further knowledge. I am a student who is studying surface design in Australia and just love to come to your blog for a wider perspective of what is happening out there. You have inspired me to do my class presentation on Digital Textile Printing...
ReplyDeleteI love this site with its inspirational designs
ReplyDeleteI have seen the next big thing with richard weston and his scarves.
I have a designer friend who is looking to get scarves manufactured as part of thier range and wondered if someone knew who the manufacturer who richard used to get his scarves made.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Kirk
The mauufacturer is Maver Srl. in Como, Italy
ReplyDeletehttp://www.maver.it/home.html