The Liberty House
Now is the time to talk about flowers and freedom again.
If you've been following us for a long time, Liberty fabric has gently established itself in our wardrobe since our beginnings, the perfect antidote to melancholy, the "Dream Catcher" of the sunny days that will inevitably return.
I assure you that there is no coincidence, but nevertheless admit that one is not called Arthur Lasenby Liberty without being destined to travel the world and do something unique in his life. Mister Liberty was therefore naturally a globe trotter, fascinated by the Far East.
In 1875 he opened a store on Regent Street, London, needless to say. He baptizes him
Liberty of London .
A whole program which announces that the place was and will remain as a final stage of the Silk Road where our Arthur Lasenby Liberty began to sell all the goods coming from its extreme East: porcelain, Japanese objects, Indian fabrics and Chinese silks, Of course.
Navigators at heart and eccentrics too, beneath the thick layers of their traditions, our English friends rushed into the immense building on Regent Street. A success story was shaping up. Legend has it that the wooden half-timbering that holds up the facade comes from the hull of the last Royal Navy schooners. This gesture of “up cycling” and “zero waste” before the letter is familiar to me! But that's not all. Around 1884, Mr. Liberty allowed himself to be attracted by the Arts & Crafts movement which advocated the fertile fusion between applied craftsmanship and artistic creativity. Why invent borders where they would have no meaning?
He then set out to create a line of clothing with the finest cotton, as supple, fine and delicate as silk. This rare cotton came from the banks of Lake Tana in Sudan. In fact, this exceptional cotton, woven very tightly, was named Tana Lawn, to remain in history as a tribute to the English lawn, supple and immutable. So much for craftsmanship.
And then, Mr. Liberty added his personal touch, perhaps a reflection of his mental landscape, or, more surely, a counterpoint to the rise of heavy industry in the England of the inflexible Queen Victoria. Liberty cotton flourished. Myriads of flowers in pastel tones were printed on the lengths of this cotton so fine that its floral motifs also appeared on the reverse side of the fabric.
Thus was born a brand destined to become a legend.
It crossed the 20th century with moments of great fury interspersed with periods of sublime creativity, like so many Rite[s] of Spring. Thus came the 60s which established Liberty fabric as an antidote to the brutality of the world.
“🎶… if you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your head…”, sang Scott Mc Kenzie to ward off the absurdity of the war in Vietnam. Each generation has its own pathogen and its need for flowers!
In 1960, alongside our studded punks, Cacharel breathed into its collections all the freshness and romanticism of Liberty fabric in abundance. Pope Saint-Laurent brought his touch of genius to sprinkle his parades with Liberty. Like an irresistible breath of fresh air, Marc Jacobs, Nicolas Ghesquière and Isabel Marant (Ah! her mini-skirts and her Liberty quilted jackets!), are in turn celebrating, today, the Rite of Spring in Liberty.
Victor, Brooke, Solal, will once again be in beautiful and harmonious company next Thursday, April 29!
We will offer them for these next reservations on a 100% REACH and Oeko Tex certified silk base, obviously, infinitely precious. Looking forward to introducing them to you.
To learn the history of silk, click here !
"Here come the time when vibrating on its stem
Each flower evaporates like a censer;
Sounds and scents swirl in the evening air;
Melancholy waltz and languorous vertigo!”
Baudelaire would have loved all the efflorescence of Liberty fabric.
In a light dress that flutters in the wind, in a blouse, in a mini skirt, Madrague on our feet, let us let ourselves be carried away by the scent of a thousand flowers and hold on!
Take care of yourself always.
CH
