It’s very satisfying to come across well-considered textile collections, the result not only of talent and skill but also long experience, as is the case with these two companies.
Maxine Sutton’s stand at Tent resembled a mid-Century living room. I really felt like plopping onto one of the chairs with a cup of tea for a chat. That will probably have to wait till I get to her shop in Margate, where she and an increasing number of creatives are based.
The printed and embroidered fabrics shown here are mostly made to order lending themselves particularly well to bespoke work. I also like the fact that she cares about the environmental implications of manufacturing: for example the PVC lining normally used for lampshades has been replaced by an eco-bleached card backing. 
Parris Wakefield are a couple whose graphic design background translates into 60’s digital mashup prints for a whole range of products from china mugs through to wallpaper. The overall impression on the stand was initially a bit manic for me (I had to stand and just look for a while to see it properly) but the individual elements sit really well in many styles of interior.
Detail of rug design.
Lampshades and cushions
Both companies produce everything within the UK either themselves or using manufacturing skills that we’re actually pretty good at. We all need to get out there and do more to promote and sell it around the world.
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