For the Love of Velvet

WITH GENTLE MAINTENANCE VELVET WILL RADIATE GLAMOUR AROUND YOUR INTERIOR FOR YEARS TO COME

Velvet has a rich and storied history dating back thousands of years. Once reserved for royalty, this opulent and luxurious fabric adds softness and warmth to traditional and contemporary interiors, from drapery to upholstery and accessories.

Whilst velvet can be made from natural fibres such as silk or cotton, or complex synthetic blends, the velvets within The Royal Menagerie collection are crafted from viscose, a strong and lustrous regenerated fibre.

Beautiful Bruises

Velvet is a cut warp pile fabric, produced by weaving two cloths face-to-face on a special loom, joined by the warp pile thread. This combined fabric is then separated by a knife edge as it comes off the loom and the fibrous cut ends of the yarn form the textured surface of the velvet.

Characterised by this short dense pile, different effects can be achieved by either leaving the pile erect or laying it in one direction to create the delicate lustre. If you run your hand over the velvet the pile will move, press on it and it will leave a mark, brush in the pile’s direction and it will return to its natural state. If the pile does flatten the angle alters which results in areas of the pile appearing lighter or darker in shade.

This can easily be mistaken for uneven dyeing but is in fact an inherent characteristic of pile fabrics, however, the beauty of fabrics such as Bespoke by Catherine Martin by Mokum is in this bruised appearance. Crushed velvets achieve perfection in their imperfection and inherent luminosity.