Dates: 7th June - 11th August
Richard Allan Scarves was a major name in the explosion of pattern and colour that defined the art and fashion of London in the 1960s.
Richard Allan possessed an extraordinary eye for line and colour, basing his silk squares on both organic and geometric forms. Aesthetics mattered to him, his style was eclectic, his collections included the daring and the bold from avant-garde to classically elegant, sometimes amusing, often whimsical.
His ground-breaking designs and off-beat colours were perfect for London in the Swinging Sixties where Richard was based, selling scarves to Liberty, Harrods, Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason then widening his reach extensively to stores in the UK. Popularity for his silks spread rapidly to Paris, Rome and across Europe to New York and throughout the United States, Bermuda, Australia and further afield. Richard worked with couture houses, such as Schiaparelli and Yves St Laurent and was commissioned for many exclusive designs, including the London scarf 1964 (available via the Richard Allan London website), ‘Avenger’, a scarf worn by Diana Rigg in the Avengers series, as well as Newmarket Races, Alfred Dunhill, HRH Prince Philip, to name a few.
It’s a new and exciting era for the classic brand with contemporary Richard Allan collections launched by his daughter, Cate for both fashion, with new scarves, and interiors: selecting six designs from the Richard Allan Archive and melding her work with her father’s, Cate has reworked colours for a contemporary limited edition print collection.
The collection is printed on museum quality paper, each design available in three colour ways - on the same basis as a scarf collection - the editions are signed, numbered /100 and embossed with the Richard Allan company seal.
The aesthetic of the company remains absolutely true to its roots with an overarching theme of fantastic, original 1960s and 70s designs and beautiful, striking colours.
