Themed Book Lists

20 Books on Textile Design

Woven, printed, and digital fabrics

May 27, 2014

“To be human is to be involved with cloth,” says the author of Textiles: The Whole Story, one of 20 books on textile design from around the world and different historical periods that come from our contributing designers, publishers, and booksellers. Here are books on woven, embroidered, printed, and digitally designed fabrics from Britain to Japan to the Islamic world. More books on textile history and design can be found on the Designers & Books Online Book Fair.

1
20th Century Pattern Design: Textile and Wallpaper Pioneers Lesley Jackson

From the Publisher. Fully updated edition published to coincide with an exhibition on British Design 1948-2012 at the V&A Museum, London, as part of its Olympics 2012 celebration; The original edition (2002) was the first international reference book to examine pattern as an essential component of 20th-century design history and sold over 15,000 copies; Highlights the work of leading textile and wallpaper designers and manufacturers from Britain, Europe and the US; An invaluable resource for modern design enthusiasts, collectors, designers, students and historians.

Pattern design flourished throughout the 20th century. From Art Nouveau at the end of the 19th century to computer-generated digital images at the turn of the Millennium, each new generation had their own distinctive approach to pattern design. Tracing the creative cross-fertilization between fashion and interiors, this invaluable book provides a chronological account of the development of pattern design. Highlighting the decisive trends that emerged in each decade, the book draws attention to the achievements of progressive manufacturers and groundbreaking designers, charting the emergence of a series of pattern design superpowers in various countries at different moments in time. From Anni Albers at the Bauhaus in the 1920s and Lucienne Day for Heal's in the 1950s, to Maija Isola for Marimekko in the 1960s, this book combines stunning photographs with informative text to inspire new flights of creativity in pattern design.

2
Advanced Textiles for Health and Wellbeing Marie O’Mahoney

From the Publisher. From medical implants to spacesuits, advanced textiles have the potential to transform human habitats and transportation, protect the environment and support personal health and wellbeing. The world’s most creative designers and engineers are working together to develop high-performance fabrics that are sustainable, fireproof, soundproof and anti-bacterial, and offer protection against extreme weather conditions and man-made disasters.

Advanced Textiles for Health and Wellbeing celebrates the latest technological advances in fibers and fabrics. The first part of the book looks at the materials themselves, including synthetic and hybrid fibers, new weaves and knits, three-dimensional materials, coatings, biotechnology and nanotechnology. The second part considers the design innovations that have been made possible in clothing, transport, and the natural and built environment.

More than 200 colour illustrations demonstrate the beauty and ingenuity of the latest advanced textiles and their exciting applications, which impact on all aspects of our lives. An authoritative glossary of technical terms and a list of suppliers complete this indispensable guide.

3
Arts and Crafts Embroidery Laura Euler

From the Publisher. Embroidered textiles are the most personal and immediate art form practiced by the Arts & Crafts Movement (c. 1860-1910). This art from another time has its own story to tell. Some items are the humble workaday pieces for utility in the home, while others are priceless works of art. Whether you are a long time collector or have only recently become interested in the Arts & Crafts Movement, this guide will help you better understand the history behind such needlework. This book features over 380 beautiful photographs of the work of famous designers including William Morris and Gustav Stickley. You will see the English, the Scottish, and the American styles of Arts & Crafts needlework and come to understand their similarities and differences. This book will delight all connoisseurs of textiles as well as Arts & Crafts aficionados.

4
Ascher: Fabric, Art, Fashion Valerie D. Mendes
Frances Hinchcliffe

Published to accompany an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, April 15–June 14, 1987, on the textile designs of Zika and Lida Ascher.

5
British Textiles: 1700 to the Present Linda Parry

This comprehensive compendium brings together a visual history of British fabrics with over 1,000 images. It shows the amazing creative abilities of professional and amateur designers over three centuries. International experts introduce each period and the textiles produced in it.

6
Chinese Silks Dieter Kuhn Editor

From the Publisher. Over the past fifty years, archaeological explorations in China have unearthed a wealth of textile materials, some dating as far back as five thousand years. In this magnificently researched and illustrated book, preeminent Western and Chinese scholars draw upon these spectacular discoveries to provide the most thorough account of the history of silk ever written.  

Encyclopedic in breadth, the volume presents a chronological history of silk from a variety of perspectives, including archaeological, technological, art historical, and aesthetic. The contributors explore the range of uses for silk, from the everyday to the sublime. By directly connecting recently found textile artifacts to specific references in China's vast historical literature, they illuminate the evolution of silk making and the driving social forces that have inspired the creation of innovative textiles through the millennia.  

Dieter Kuhn is professor emeritus of sinology, University of Würzburg, Germany. James C. Y. Watt is Brooke Russell Astor Chairman Emeritus, Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Chen Juanjuan was senior research fellow, Palace Museum, Beijing. Huang Nengfu is professor at the Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing. Li Wenying is deputy director, Xinjiang Institute of Archaeology. Peng Hao is professor of archaeology, Wuhan University, and senior research fellow at Jingzhou Museum, Hubei. Zhao Feng is vice director, China National Silk Museum, Hangzhou; director, Chinese Centre for Textile Identification and Conservation, Hangzhou; and professor of textile and costume history, Donghua University, Shanghai.

7
Classic and Modern Fabrics Janet Wilson

From the Publisher. From the earliest weaves uncovered by archaeologists to today’s machine-produced, scientifically advanced fabrics, textiles have had a profound influence on civilization. As technologies change and world economics influence the direction that fashion and textiles take, it is vital that both skills and our textile vocabulary should be kept alive.

This encyclopaedia is a definitive reference guide to all the major types of fabric in circulation today, from abbot cloth to zibeline. In clear and engaging language, the author describes and illustrates more than 600 of the most important examples, from classic tweeds to state-of-the-art nano fabrics.

Each entry includes a brief definition, informative notes on structure, and a list of uses. More than 700 color illustrations show a fabric’s weave, texture, and other defining characteristics at a glance, and helpful diagrams demonstrate the structure of the most important types of textiles. The book concentrates on textiles in current use, but it also covers obscure or obsolete terms that one might come across—and that might still have something to teach today’s designers, manufacturers, and textile historians.

Each entry is carefully cross-referenced, and the book includes an extensive glossary and bibliography.

Janet Wilson is an associate lecturer at the London College of Fashion. She has worked as a textile designer and continues to design fabrics on a freelance basis.

8
David Hicks on Decoration—with Fabrics David Hicks

Detailed exploration of interior designer David Hicks’s work with fabrics, mixing traditional and modern to create timeless patterns for carpets, upholstery, draperies, and more.

9
Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800 Amelia Peck

From the Publisher. Beginning in the 16th century, the golden age of European navigation created a vigorous textile trade, and a breathtaking variety of textile designs subsequently spread across the globe. Trade textiles blended the traditional designs, skills, and tastes of their cultures of origin, with new techniques learned through global exchange, creating beautiful new works that are also historically fascinating. Interwoven Globe is the first book to analyze these textiles within the larger history of trade and design. Richly illustrated texts explore the interrelationship of textiles, commerce, and taste from the age of discovery to the 19th century, including a detailed discussion of 120 illuminating works. From the elaborate dyed and painted cotton goods of India to the sumptuous silks of Japan, China, Turkey, and Iran, the paths of influence are traced westward to Europe and the Americas. Essential to this exchange was the trade in highly valued natural dyes and dye products, underscoring the influence of global exploration on the aesthetics and production techniques of textiles, and the resulting fashion for the "exotic."

10
Katsuji Wakisaka: Japanese Textile Designer Katsuji Wakisaka

From the Publisher. Katsuji Wakisaka, a Japanese textile designer, started his career as the first Japanese designer to work for Marimekko, the Finnish textile company, in 1968. Surrounded by the beautiful nature of Finland, he developed an aesthetic for organic shapes and bold colors. After coming back to Japan in 1980s, he started SOUSOU, the apparel brand whose projects are created based on Japanese tradition. These days, Wakisaka starts his day with a walk and takes inspiration from the landscape of his hometown, Kyoto. After returning to his studio, he paints everything from seasonal changes in nature to traditional Japanese patterns. Many of his textile designs for SOUSOU begin as postcards, which serve as initial drafts for his designs, and he mails each one to his wife. He is prolific that he has made more than 10,000 postcards until now. Most of the contents of this book are his textile designs and products for Marimekko and SOUSOU. Behind-the-scene stories of how he is active in his SOUSOU brand, his interview, and his episodes for his designs are also included. This is a title for designers, textile lovers, and those who are interested in Finnish and modern Japanese designs. Even those who do not know Wakisaka will enjoy and be inspired by the book.

11
Knoll Textiles: 1945-2010 Earl Martin

From the Publisher. In 1940, Hans Knoll founded a company in New York that soon earned a reputation for its progressive line of furniture. Florence Schust joined the firm and helped establish its interior design division, the Knoll Planning Unit. In 1947, the year after their marriage, Hans and Florence Knoll added a third division, Knoll Textiles, which brought textile production in line with a modern sensibility that used color and texture as primary design elements. In the early years, the company hired leading proponents of modern design as well as young, untried designers to create textile patterns. The division thrived in the late 1940s through 1960s and, in the following decade, adopted a more international outlook as design direction shifted to Europe. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Knoll tapped fashion designers and architects to bolster its brand. The pioneering use of new materials and a commitment to innovative design have remained Knoll's hallmarks to the present day.

With essays by experts, biographies of about eighty designers, and images of textiles, drawings, furniture, and ephemera, Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010 is the first comprehensive study devoted to a leading contributor to modern textile design. Highlighting the individuals and ideas that helped shape Knoll Textiles over the years, this book brings the Knoll brand and the role of textiles in the history of design to the forefront of public attention.

12
Maharam Agenda Michael Maharam

From the Publisher. First known as a supplier of theatrical textiles to Broadway and beyond, Maharam pioneered the concept of engineered textiles for interior applications in the 1960s. Today Maharam is the world’s leading provider of textiles to commercial architects and interior designers. The studio takes a holistic view of design, embracing a range of disciplines that include architecture and interior design, furniture, fashion, accessories, and graphic and digital means. The publication provides a comprehensive overview of the company’s history, displays cultural markers, and presents different design projects.

Read Author Q&A on Designers & Books.

13
Marimekko Marianne Aav et al.

From the Publisher. Founded in 1951 by visionary textile designer Armi Ratia and her husband, Viljo, the Marimekko Corporation in Finland not only sparked a revolution in pattern making but also pioneered a new definition of fashion that embraced the entire home environment. This book presents more than one hundred examples of the exuberant Marimekko fashions and home furnishings that gave the company a definitive presence on the world design stage.

The book considers the history of the company from its founding through today and examines Marimekko’s impact on design in Finland and around the world. The company’s most important designers, including Maija Isola and Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi, their contributions, and their stylistic development are also discussed. In addition, the book examines Marimekko home and office interiors and how they reflected the lifestyle envisioned in Armi Ratia’s broad, radical definition of fashion.

14
Printed Textile Design Amanda Briggs-Goode

From the Publisher. This books explains the fundamentals of printed textile design, from design brief through to the completed collection, and introduces the basics of color, drawing, composition, and repeat with a series of step-by-step exercises and examples.

Printed Textile Design helps to demystify the design process and provides an invaluable guide to the study and practice of textile design.

The book includes case studies of designers working in both the fashion and interiors sectors. It covers hand and traditional print techniques and the latest digital print technologies, with specially commissioned photographs of the processes. All aspects of textile design are covered, from sustainability to manufacturing and marketing the finished product.

15
Textile Arts of India Kōkyō Hatanaka

A collection of hundreds of photographs of fabrics from India dating from the 17th century to the 20th century, presenting techniques such as painting, weaving, and embroidery, with an essay by Zahid Sarder explaining the history of the techniques of textile manufacture.

16
Textiles of the Islamic World John Gillow

From the Publisher. This book surveys the astonishing array of textiles made, worn, used and displayed throughout the Islamic world, from the glorious fabrics of the past to those still being produced today.

Lavish illustrations feature examples from around the globe, including embroidered Persian prayer cloths, Anatolian ikat coats, Ottoman knitted purses, Caucasian striped silk bags, Berber women’s shawls, Arab appliquéd tent decorations, Yemeni indigo robes, Indonesian batik sarongs, West African strip-woven cloths, and much else besides.

Region-by-region coverage offers concise details of local history, particular textile traditions, materials, dyes, special forms of decoration and information on current practice. Also explored is the fascinating fusion promoted by the merchants, missionaries, migrants and conquerors who travelled the world promulgating Islam and trading textiles widely.

The variety on display is stunning, from hemp to sumptuous velvets and silks; from quilting, felting, beading and knitting to block-printing, tie-dyeing and hand-weaving.

Specially taken colour photographs, portraits of weavers and dyers in action, and rare historical material complete a remarkable visual panorama. Together with a glossary, bibliography and guide to textile collections around the world, this comprehensive survey provides a wealth of information and will be invaluable to anyone interested in the rich art of textiles, costume or craft.

17
Textiles, the Whole Story: Uses, Meanings, Significances Beverly Gordon

From the Publisher. There are few aspects of our lives in which fabrics do not play a part and the author reminds us powerfully of the significance of fabrics throughout human history. Her expertise is enriched by her own hands-on experience: spinning silk from silkworm cocoons, weaving cloth, and creating natural dyes. As a curator she has studied thousands of textiles. Bridging past and present—from the Stone Age to 21st-century “smart fabrics,” which can regulate body temperature or measure the wearer’s pulse—the book integrates craft, art, science, history and anthropology, drawing on examples from around the globe.

Here are topics such as the universality of textiles in human language and experience; their social role in bonding families and communities; the importance of textiles in world trade; their spiritual and sacred aspects; and the work of artists using textiles as their medium. A dazzling array of illustrations includes paintings and photographs of both historic and contemporary textiles and a broad collection of textiles being created, worn, and lived with.

18
Textile Visionaries Bradley Quinn

From the Publisher. Technologized textiles and sustainable fabrics are among the most innovative designed today, and together they are driving the rest of the industry dramatically forward. Many designers are now integrating hi-tech fabrics, such as protective and impact-resistant textiles, or cellulose fabrics, with groundbreaking results. Embracing new processes such as biomimicry, they bridge the gap between art, design, technology, and sustainability more than any other material. This book showcases new work from over 35 of today’s most forward-thinking textile designers, featuring surface designs, highly-structured textures, and striking silhouettes. Each will be presented through inspirational text and striking visual spreads to include design sketches, work-in-progress photographs, and digital drawings alongside images of cutting-edge furniture, interior textiles, and fashion. This book shows how the development of fabrics today is immersed in technology, sustainability, and innovation. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in contemporary textile design.

19
Threads of Silk and Gold Hiroko T. McDermott
Clare Pollard

From the Publisher. This book is a pioneering study of Japanese ornamental textiles made for the foreign market during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These exquisite embroideries, resist-dyed silks and velvets, tapestries, and appliquéd works were an important feature of the Western fascination with all things Japanese at that time, winning numerous accolades at international fairs and being used to decorate homes across Europe and the United States. Yet since then they have been largely forgotten. This book, which will appeal to textile enthusiasts and those interested in Japanese art and Japonisme alike, celebrates these remarkable and undervalued textiles. It discusses their production techniques, iconography, patronage, and trade and demonstrates how Kyoto craftsmen created a modern art form by adapting their traditional skills to Western tastes. The book accompanies an exhibition of the same name opening at the Ashmolean Museum on 9 November 2012. Featuring textiles from the newly formed collection of the Kiyomizu- Sannenzaka Museum in Kyoto and from the Ashmolean's own holdings, this is the first exhibition of Japanese ornamental textiles of the Meiji period (1868-1912) to be held outside Japan.

20
Woven Textile Design Jan Shenton

From the Publisher. Woven Textile Design offers a comprehensive introduction to weaving for all those wishing to design and produce a wide range of fabrics from scratch. Starting with the basics of woven textile design, the book looks at how to draw up and interpret records and notation, before explaining how different types of cloth are constructed. From the most basic of plain weaves, through twill weaves, textured weaves such as seersucker, crepe, and corded cloths to more complicated designs created with extra threads woven in, a wide range of patterns are covered. Illustrated throughout with diagrams, weaving plans, and beautiful examples from contemporary designers, the book also includes tips on using different yarns and colors to create stunning and unique designs. Offering clear, practical advice, this book will show you how to interpret your initial concepts and develop your ideas on the loom.

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