PROFILE
Inspiring home interiors, fashion and so much more... The past twelve months has seen 25 new licensees join the raft of premium brands in the V&A portfolio. From the launch of Sofas & Stuff to Royal Mint and expanding ranges with Blinds 2go, all have considered design and innovation at the core of a V&A collaboration.
collection of William Morris wallpaper, textile and tile designs, widely regarded as being at the heart of the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain. To this day, Morris designs continue to inspire product showcased to great effect in the ongoing trend for Arts and Crafts pattern in the home.
The V&A is known and loved for its art, design and performance but there is one area that perennially stands out: Arts and Crafts. The V&A holds the world’s most comprehensive
March 2020 saw the launch of the V&A’s debut collection with Blinds 2go, the market leader within the UK for online blinds. Inspired by the most comprehensive collection
Blinds 2go
of Morris’s works in virtually every medium held at the V&A, Blinds 2go created a beautiful collection of made to measure blinds and curtains for 2021. The range of Roman blinds, roller blinds and curtains feature ten beautiful patterns in over 40 exclusive new colourways. Blinds 2go worked with the research team at the V&A to delve into the archives and select a collection of patterns that could look equally at home in a classic or a contemporary interior. The new collection maintains the essence and beauty of those original patterns, combining them with modern palettes that make them easy and relevant to use in a modern setting. The result has been so successful that Blind 2go continues to explore the V&A archives. Moving across the pond, Entryways is a US based brand that create hand-painted 100% natural coir doormats. Using inspiration from the V&A archives and exhibitions, the latest range features Seaweed, designed by Morris & Co.’s Chief Designer John Henry Dearle. Its intricate pattern of lush blooms and foliage is a celebration of nature and inspiration for Arts and Crafts artists. Galison is a long standing partner with the V&A, also based in the US but specialising in beautiful embroidered pouches and journals featuring delicate floral patterns and embellished with hand-embroidered details all based on William Morris designs from the V&A archive. The V&A is delighted to be working with LEDIN, a womenswear retailer in China. The first collection in the collaboration is a range of fashion and accessories featuring V&A prints inspired by some of the museum’s most popular archive designs. The range includes wallpaper patterns by William Morris, ballet
PAGE 22
TOTAL BRAND LICENSING