From a small department store set up in Regent Street in 1875 and specializing in the importation of products from Asia, Arthur Lasenby Liberty built a veritable empire of sumptuous fabrics, each with designs more beautiful than the last.
Fabrics, with prints that have become iconic, of impeccable quality.
Arthur Lasenby Liberty, visionary entrepreneur and expert in oriental art objects
At the end of the 19th century, Arthur Liberty, son of a draper and the eldest of eight children, worked for a while in the oriental art department of a London department store before creating his own boutique. He was fascinated by the incredible beauty and refinement of exceptional objects and fabrics imported from Japan, India, Persia, among others.
It was with two thousand pounds sterling in his pocket, borrowed from his future father-in-law, that he opened the East India House brand at 218 Regent Street a few years later. His small boutique enjoyed increasing success and expanded rapidly, as the English ristocracy was so fond of the exotic tastes and spectacular displays of the store now called Liberty & Co. Arthur Liberty's great expertise in this area led him to rub shoulders with the greatest artists, designers and interior architects of the moment.
Creator and fine art connoisseur, he greatly inspired fashion and design trends, particularly in Italy: the liberti style which became synonymous with art nouveau.
Printing Liberty® fabrics: from block printing to cutting-edge technology
As the demand for fabrics grew, Arthur Liberty decided to directly import rolls of raw textiles and have his own patterns and dyes applied by hand, using the block-printing technique, in the Liberty factory at Merton Abbey in London. This ingenious idea gave birth to the world-famous silk-textured cotton: the famous Liberty® Tana Lawn.
The Liberty® fabric printing mechanisms now used, screen or digital printing , use well-established and cutting-edge technologies. This allows for a breathtaking level of pattern detail and optimal color saturation!
A choice of Liberty fabrics of incredible quality produced in Italy
Silk, Lantana, Lasenby, Tana Lawn, Crepe, Jersey: the fabrics under the Liberty ® brand have today become extremely diversified. When passing through London, don't miss a visit to the top floor of the sumptuous Liberty London store filled with rolls of fabrics impeccably arranged by pattern, color, material, collection. A paradise for seamstresses and designers.
Liberty® produces the vast majority of its textiles in Europe in its factory in Italy , near Lake Como. This important criterion from an environmental point of view must be truly applauded.
Liberty ® Lasenby and Tana Lawn for the handcrafted production of Gilbertine accessories
We fell for the Liberty® lasenby cotton collection which is ideal for making accessories. Both by the robustness and softness of this fabric and by the incredible choice of colorful and delicate patterns.
Additionally, this cotton is machine washable. Spoiler : Tana Lawn cotton with its silky touch will also have its place soon at Gilbertine but shhh.
Handcrafted in Belgium, in a workshop of workers with disabilities, our products in REAL Liberty® fabric have a certain cost, which is totally justified.
Buying GILBERTINE products means treating yourself with quality products but also supporting the local and European economy. Arthur's liberty® is earned. 😊
Discover our Liberty fabric accessories created with passion
