Margo Selby.

Margo Selby is one of the most talked about weavers about town. As an award-winning textile designer, her popularity has grown from strength to strength and her work has now gained instant recognisability amongst many. As a budding weave student I have extensive respect for her as she has successfully carved herself a brand spanning both the world of interiors and fashion. Her approach to designing textiles is often referred to as ‘bold’ by way of its unique structure, striking colour and geometric pattern.

Selby designs her fabrics on a handloom in her London studio, and then has them woven in specialist mills, which I believe are in India. It’s such a shame that manufacture cannot be conducted within Britain but I suppose this would push already high-end prices to an unaffordable level. I find her work particularly inspiring and her ability to play with colour, pattern, and proportions whilst respecting the satisfaction of repetition is extraordinary. Branching into textiles for interiors, fashion and lifestyle accessories shows the extend of her versatility and gives me confidence in the broad potential of woven fabric.

The other evening Cat and I attended a preview of Margo Selby’s new collaboration with Alison Willoughby. Titled The inexhaustible Object vs. International Lonely Girl, the collaboration is presented through an installation curated by Alison Willoughby which explores the skirt as a ‘cone or tube’, a collage of mark making and placement. Held at Margo Selby’s beautiful showroom in Bloomsbury, featured were a collection of Alison Willoughby’s skirts made from distinctive Margo Selby fabrics. Beautifully hand-constructed, Alison’s skirts were recognisable for their elaborate and intricate use of textiles. Ultimately they could be described as wearable pieces of art. The fusion of Selby’s graphic and metallic fabrics with Willoughby’s textile manipulation has culminated in an eclectic skirt collection.

Nowadays, collaborations are definitely extremely popular ways of working in the world of art and design. I think that a pair as opposed to one creative mind can combine to create something very new, exciting and even unexpected.
To be honest, I was more interested in looking at Selby’s exquisite fabric than the manipulated product of the collaboration. The complexity of the luxurious weave was enough to compel and please the eye. I am fond of Selby’s distinctive style and especially admire her ability to use colour in such an uninhibited way.