V&A

2021 was another year of growth with some fantastic success for V&A licensing. Now with 95 licensees globally, the V&A saw an astounding 22 debut launches and 24 new licensees coming on board, proving the brand’s ongoing appeal and reach across multiple product categories and territories. The museum’s award-winning licensing programme offers an almost infinite source of design inspiration. It continues to grow its product offering and global reach with new ranges and activations from licensees and retailers in key territories, enabling existing and new audiences to connect with the V&A collections. Last summer, new Chinese licensee LEDiN, launched its debut range of fashion and accessories featuring prints inspired by some of the Museum’s most popular holdings. Designs in the range include wallpaper patterns by William Morris, ballet designs by Léon Bakst and 1930s dress fab-ric by British textile merchant Tootal Broadhurst Lee. The collection has over 24 pieces, including dresses, separates, scarves and hair accessories. A second collection is confirmed for Spring 2022. The Chinese womenswear brand Cocoon launched an impressive six collections last summer, comprising of versatile tees, dresses and knitwear. The first collection, ‘Voyage’, launched in June and was adapted from an elaborate book on botany, Iznik ceramics and marine-themed designs and fabrics. The playful range is beautifully illustrated, reflecting the museum’s incredible objects and their stories, crafted into wearable daytime designs, and includes several collections inspired by classic children’s tales Alice in Wonderland and Puss in Boots.

The V&A also launched a new collaboration with CAMILLA, an Australian based boutique and fashion brand who create high end ready to wear clothing and accessories. Alongside the V&A’s research and development team, the CAMILLA team set out to source the ultimate ‘printspiration’, with two 18th century artists capturing their eye. They explored the botanical worlds of William Kilburn and Anna Maria Garthwaite, creating a capsule collection featuring three different prints. It brings Kilburn’s sheer botanical brilliance and illustrious English textile designer Garthwaite’s vivid floral designs to life, all mid 18th century fashion in flowered woven silks and Rococco style. The range was stocked in luxury department stores including Matches Fashion (UK), Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus in the U.S. Summer of 2021 saw the launch of an exclusive new collection of fabrics and furniture with Sofas & Stuff – the British furniture business with a love of fine art, textiles and interior. British creativity and craftsmanship abound in the V&A Brompton Collection, a fabric range which draws inspiration from the museum’s expansive archives. The inspiration for the imagery was carefully selected from a wealth of textile patterns and botanical illustrations from the 16th to 19th centuries. Statement broken stripes, exotic birds and floral chintzes mix with botanical studies in a collection that is both contemporary and utterly classic in easy and relaxed shades. As 2022 gets underway the V&A is thrilled to announce the latest collaboration with Papier – a stationery range that reimagines a selection of designs from the museum’s collection of enchantingly patterned and brightly coloured 18th century hand-painted papers and fabric de-signs. The design and researchers from both teams identified prints which would complement Papier’s spring ‘22 collection Vita, inspired by the folk-bohemian styles of the Bloomsbury Group and the Ballet Russes. The final selection of geometric and floral patterns is taken from early 18th century designs by Heussner & Co., acquired by the Museum in the 1870s, for furnishings, dress fabrics and patterned papers.