Fashion Society: July 2009

Classic English florals: imaginings of the countryside, 60s hippie movement, innocence and childhood. No matter how one wears them, there is a certain unmistakable British charm. My barbies discarded their sparkling bikinis and neon sportswear in favour of tiny floral dresses, cropped jackets and flared skirts with little ribbon ties lovingly made by my mother. My christmas angel wears her pink and white flowered dress from an off cut of Liberty Fabric year in year out - and yes she really does look angelic. And now this summer fashion has gone wild for the 'Liberty Fabric' which is set to take over the world.

Liberty was founded by Arthur Liberty in 1875. He built it's reputation through innovative and trend-setting stock; imported antiques from the Near and Far East, arms and armour from Japan and China, and exhibitions of embroideries from across the world. Now, Liberty is both innovatively moving forward and looking back, paying tribute. A Retrospective Liberty Exhibition opens to celebrate the iconic fabric prints. A collaboration with Central Saint Martins students is set to reinterpret the archive of prints. Luella and Gap have produced collections based on the fabrics in the archives. For the second year running Nike have designed Liberty print Dunks and Blazers. Paris fashion house APC have launched a new Liberty Fabric collection; 1960s boho with 'a large dash of Soho summer'. 'APC’s John Touitou believes that ‘floral print fabrics are a totem for the 1960s’; in keeping with this feeling he has designed the collection to be authentically boho – nostalgia updated – to reflect the re-emergence of the Liberty Print.' Liberty of London’s Sloane Street boutique in celebration invited a special Cacharel collection to sit alongside the brand’s own, comprising a capsule selection of pieces reworked in their original 1970s Liberty print. The Kate Moss for Topshop capsule collection draws inspiration from Liberty’s fabric archives to create flirty summer dresses, perfect for the festival season. Papa d’Anjo also launched at Liberty in March with a range of childrenswear, all in Liberty print. This summer Liberty sums up 'British Cool'.

A few weeks ago I embarked on an exploration of floral print; the eccentric british look being central to my work. Below are some pictures from my first floral shoot. Here I've explored classic innocent florals; their softness and feminity. I was inspired by vintage pieces, the APC line Madras, and of course Liberty. The Topshop Liberty print shorts, and the Carcharel Liberty print visor were starting points for this story . Next week I'm going urban, with 1960s anti-war protests and student rebellion. I am set to discover how florals fit into our distinctly British look and culture.