Loewe Launches A William Morris-Inspired Capsule Collection

You can now wear 19th-century prints in a very modern way

Luxury fashion house Loewe has released a capsule collection inspired by the work of 19th-century British textile designer, artist, and writer William Morris. Having gained exclusive access to the Morris & Co archives, Loewe’s creative director, Jonathan Anderson, selected four original prints, dating from 1874 to 1883, that were originally created as wallpaper and fabric designs.

Strawberry Thief, Forest, Acanthus and Honeysuckle (pictured pictured above), the iconic Morris prints, have been transposed onto a collection of biker jackets, dresses, hand-knit wool jumpers, Loewe’s signature Hammock and Puzzle bags, plus a parka with matching trousers, which are two favourites of Anderson’s, a “total look” — it “becomes a kind of modern camouflage,” says The Northern Irish designer.

“Morris changed the way we look at craft,” Anderson says, “making him one of the most important designers of the past 200 years.”

I liked this idea of hybridizing Morris with the punk movement in Britain,” says Anderson. “When he started doing what he did, it was progressive.” Morris’ approach to design was considered radical back in 19th-cenutry. The artist was known to mix his own dyes from unconventional ingredients like roots, flowers, twigs, and is said to have started making his own wallpaper because he didn’t like any others well enough to use in his own home.

The collection, available in November, was aptly shot at Morris-decorated Standen House, a historic national trust property in West Sussex, England that’s known for its plush gardens and iconic interiors furnished in Morris fabrics, wallpapers and carpets. “There’s something magical about Morris,” Anderson says. “You feel like, if you’re wearing the wallpaper, you could just disappear into the house.”

Click through the gallery above to see more of the collection.