Oasis and the Warner Textile Archive

Oasis have been knocking out the park in the last couple of years with their spectacular collaborations. I absolutely loved the collections that were inspired by prints from the V&A’s archives – I bought four pieces from the second collection! – and their AW15 collaboration with photographer John Grant was full of stunning dark florals. However, they appear to have gone one better with their latest one, which I actually didn’t think would be possible.

The Warner Textile Archive is based in Braintree in Essex and holds a collection of more than 60,000 textiles and 10,000 paper designs, plus pattern books, record books, photographs and documentary material. It is the archive of textile firm Warner & Sons, the history of which dates back to the late seventeenth century when William Warner worked as a scarlet dyer in Spitalfields. Oasis’ Design Director, Clive Reeve, and his team combed the archive collections to find fabrics that would work perfectly for AW16’s trends for rich colours and fabrics, plus a good old bit of party season shimmer. The resulting collection is opulent, with the eighteenth century textile designs working amazingly well with fit-and-flare midi dresses, clutch bags and mini skirts alike.

The collection is available to buy online now, and you can read an interview with Oasis’ design director and another with the archivists at the Warner Textile Archive over on the Oasis blog.