Fabulous Florence – Signature Prints & Florence Broadhurst
Fabulous Florence – Signature Prints & Florence Broadhurst
Fabulous Florence – Signature Prints & Florence Broadhurst
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<strong>Fabulous</strong> <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>–</strong> <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> & <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong><br />
After reading ‘<strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong>: Her Secret And Extraordinary Lives’ a few years ago, I fell in love with<br />
<strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> and the amazing work that <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> have done to honour <strong>Florence</strong>’s life and work in<br />
such a genuine way. A huge THANK YOU to Helen Lennie for the amazing effort she has put into this weeks<br />
guest blog, it’s going to be a fabulous week! <strong>–</strong> Jenny x<br />
Left: <strong>Florence</strong> photographed in a painstakingly embroidered Manilla Shawl (Collection: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney). Right: Helen and<br />
David Lennie photographed by our friend Gary Heery.<br />
Firstly a big ‘hello’ and thank you to Lucy and Jenny for the amazing opportunity to showcase the fabulous follies<br />
of <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> and <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>!! Over the past decade I have been asked a thousand questions<br />
about the extraordinary life of <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> and <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>’ role in re-releasing these iconic designs<br />
to an international audience. An underlying theme that is so often raised in many people’s minds is “how did<br />
someone so dynamic and ahead of her time, a design celebrity in her own day, come to be lost and almost<br />
forgotten? How did a design library of nearly 530 designs fall off the face of the earth?” During this week I will tell<br />
you the story of how these designs have come to life once again as part of one of Australia’s biggest export<br />
success stories. <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> is a born global brand, here’s to an over night success story, 12 years in the<br />
making!<br />
Our company <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> is a hand-printing company based in Sydney. We specialise in the design and<br />
printing of premium textiles, wallpaper and limited edition art. Here we pride ourselves on using traditional screenprinting<br />
techniques and contemporary colour in a market where we are so often used to seeing a mass produced<br />
sameness. We have created a range of products that excel in the current design market. Most notably, we are the<br />
proud custodians of the extraordinary <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> design library and we own the exclusive world-wide<br />
rights to print the unique artwork of this Australian icon.<br />
<strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> was a bright and eccentric character who we believe to be one of Australia’s national<br />
treasures. <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s adult life began at the age of 19, the flamboyant and brave <strong>Broadhurst</strong> reincarnated<br />
herself as Bobby <strong>Broadhurst</strong> and left her home town in rural Queensland. Here she joined an eight strong cast of<br />
musicians, transvestites, singers and comedians on a 15 months tour of Asia.
Theatrical <strong>Florence</strong> pictured offstage in Bobby <strong>Broadhurst</strong> mode <strong>–</strong> 1920 India. (Collection: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney)<br />
Left: <strong>Florence</strong> with Globe Trotter pianist Wallingford Tate <strong>–</strong> 1925. (Collection: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney) Right: A rare signed photograph<br />
of Bobby <strong>Broadhurst</strong> taken in Hong Kong.<br />
In 1927, after sustaining a head injury in a car accident <strong>Broadhurst</strong> moved to England, here she married Percy<br />
Kann and reinvented herself once again. This time, as her French alter ego, Madame Pellier. By the 1930’s she<br />
had became an individual, feminine couturier creating an up market dress salon, a playground for the rich and<br />
flirtatious on London’s Bond Street.
Left: <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> on her wedding day to Percy Kann, on Friday 7th June 1929. Right: In 1933 <strong>Florence</strong> set up shop as Madame<br />
Pellier at 65 new Bond street, London.<br />
<strong>Florence</strong> delighted in making a scene, her history and accent changed for each of the fictional characters she<br />
played. Her final incarnation before her death saw the very creative <strong>Florence</strong> run the world’s boldest and most<br />
exciting wallpaper studios of the 1960s and 70s. Her designs were works of art, hand-drawn, hand-screen printed<br />
with Warholian parallel in terms of repetition, colour sense and inclination to take advantage of mistakes in the<br />
registration of screens. The imagery she created was lush and ranged from exotic birds and florals to psychedelic<br />
and oriental patterns.<br />
Left: The Paper Makers Australian Home Journal, 1968. Featuring <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s chief assistant Cathy Asimus. Right: <strong>Broadhurst</strong> stands behind<br />
her desk in her wallpaper showroom at 12 <strong>–</strong> 24 Roylston Street, Paddington.
<strong>Florence</strong> revolutionised wallpaper, she abandoned the conventions of mass production and rapidly left behind<br />
traditional, conservative wallpapers. She herself called her prints ‘Vigorous designs for modern Living’. Here at<br />
<strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> we are reviving these fabulous designs once more, expanding <strong>Florence</strong>’s horizons, giving our<br />
fantastic collection of prints the recognition they deserve once again. We pride ourselves on promoting lovingly<br />
made, luxury Australian design and delivering it to the world!<br />
<strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> in her later years appearing for the press. On the left working from her easel and on the right working at light box. Even at<br />
this age <strong>Florence</strong> had amazing charisma, fantastic energy and a love of the lime light.<br />
Unfortunately <strong>Florence</strong>’s life came to a tragic end when she was murdered in 1977. As production stopped, <strong>Florence</strong>’s<br />
prints became a thing of the past. Time went on, tastes changed and her work was almost forgotten. This<br />
is where <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> stepped in, we have reincarnated <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> for the last time, we believe that<br />
her work will continue to thrive in this unexpected revival.<br />
We have been very lucky to have had the help of Helen O’Neill, who is the author of the lavishly illustrated,<br />
‘<strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong>: Her Secret And Extraordinary Lives’. Without her, much of the information we know today<br />
would still be undiscovered. This book contains designs which have been unseen for decades. Helen O’Neill<br />
documents the world wide rediscovery of <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> as well as exciting tales and insights into the life of<br />
such a flamboyant and unique woman. This book is available for $59.99 online on our <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> website.<br />
Looking forward to sharing more tomorrow!<br />
- Helen<br />
Special thanks to the Powerhouse Museum for their continual involvement and support in preserving and promoting<br />
the legacy of <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> and other significant Australian designers.
<strong>Fabulous</strong> <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>–</strong> <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>, History and Collaborations<br />
After leaving Chanel for true love x2 [David & wallpaper], Helen’s life is no less connected with designers of note.<br />
Apart from being surrounded by <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s designs, Helen also works closely with Akira Isogawa &<br />
Cadrys. Whilst Helen’s posts are bursting with content, her stories are truly fascinating! <strong>–</strong> Jenny x<br />
Above left to right <strong>–</strong> Japanese Bamboo print on matt gold paper being rolled up, drawing art work on acetate sheeting, rolls of printed paper in<br />
our heated drying room, many screens on the drying rack after being washed down.<br />
At <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> we enjoy and pride ourselves on maintaining the standard of excellence that was set by<br />
<strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> over 40 years ago. With the support and expertise of our dedicated staff we have continued<br />
to hand-print high end, quality wallpapers, fabrics and limited edition art and these are continuing to appeal to the<br />
21st century. Our workshop and showroom is based in Sydney’s Rosebery, and we export to twenty three<br />
countries around the world. The creative hub of our business is the workshop, we have five huge tables enabling<br />
us to print up to 800 meters a day on either fabric or paper. Along the length of these tables, mounted on the wall<br />
is our collection of 530 <strong>Broadhurst</strong> screens. Beside our printing area lies a small art room, the office of Huang<br />
Chongfu. A very talented artist who spends hours painstakingly restoring and repairing <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s precious<br />
artwork to its former glory. Original Pieces of <strong>Florence</strong>’s work are now so rare they are now collected by the<br />
Powerhouse Museum.
Left <strong>–</strong> Solar in Purple and Black, right - Horses Stampede.<br />
Over the last ten years we have been working to usher <strong>Florence</strong>’s work back to the main stage, this hasn’t been<br />
without a great struggle of course. <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> was once seen as a manufacturing company, we are now<br />
recognised as a world leader in product design, marketing and branding.<br />
Left <strong>–</strong> Tudor Floral Print in black ink on silver paper, right <strong>–</strong> Tortoiseshell Stripe, a stripe that experiments with an organic notion of vertical<br />
stripes.<br />
When <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> first acquired our collection of 530 screens, we thought that only 112 were of <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s.<br />
After days of printing each screen he realised that actually, there were 530. David couldn’t believe he had<br />
acquired such a dynamic collection. At the time, in such a minimalist environment, and at a time when <strong>Florence</strong><br />
had been forgotten, these ballsy prints were not worth a thing. It was cheaper to dispose of the prints than it was<br />
to store them.
David and I met one evening in Sydney and six weeks later I left my job working for the French label Chanel. I<br />
rolled up my sleeves, came to work at <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>, and we were married within a year. David thought that<br />
coming from a luxury background, I might be the key to opening doors for this company. At the time I obviously<br />
didn’t have a clue about how a manufacturing company was run, but I loved these prints and believed that we<br />
could make it a successful business. We had a library of prints that had been on top of the world, our challenge<br />
was bringing it back to life without a million dollar advertising budget.<br />
From left to right <strong>–</strong> A selection of our many printing inks, flooding of The Cranes screen, The Cranes screen being washed and a selection of<br />
screens from our collection.<br />
Our key was aiming at the very top of the luxe market, taking things slowly and gradually we began re-introducing<br />
<strong>Broadhurst</strong> again. Our prints have been used by Akira Isogowa, and can be found at international hot spots<br />
including Liberty of London, John Lewis and Donald Trump’s international hotel in Las Vegas. We have also been<br />
recognised many times for our contribution to Australian design. As the home of the <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> library,<br />
<strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> is now considered to be a “National Treasure”. Our commitment to <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong><br />
continues to be identified as putting Australia on the map for international design.<br />
Akira Isogawa is a Japanese born couturier, and an influential player in Australian womens fashion. Akira visited<br />
our studio during the early part of 1999 as a final attempt to solve a printing problem. Akira was designing and<br />
creating costumes for a dance production being performed at the Sydney Opera House. Isogawa wanted net<br />
covered robes, upon which were printed ‘inhale’ and ‘exhale’ Japanese calligraphy. After an hour in the workshop<br />
we found a solution and began to work together.
Akira’s had never seen anything like <strong>Florence</strong>’s work before, he was surprised to see so much variety, from the<br />
abstract and art deco to textured European prints. Two of our four colour screen designs jumped out at him, the<br />
first being Nagoya (A pattern of pendulous fruit hanging from heavily leafed branches). The second print was<br />
Chelsea, a fluid, dynamic pattern of long petalled chrysanthemums <strong>–</strong> a flower Akira feels expresses his childhood<br />
in Japan. Akira began to visualise how he could use these prints within his clothing range, and instantly began<br />
producing designs in his head.
Its been a long time in the making, and David and I are both really pleased to be showcasing the work that we’ve<br />
been doing with the airline Qantas. Together we have developed a great set of amenity kits for their business<br />
class customers!<br />
Above left <strong>–</strong> David and I photographed here with two Qantas flight attendants. In the foreground is the renowned and simple Honeycomb<br />
repeat. Above right <strong>–</strong> David and I photographed with the very popular Japanese Floral on the easel. Below <strong>–</strong> Qantas business amenity kit<br />
containing travel size Malin and Goetz products in Oriental Filligree reverse<br />
After much deliberation, and looking through our brilliant 530 strong collection of <strong>Broadhurst</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>, Qantas<br />
decided to use two different prints for their business class amenity kits. These were Oriental Filligree Reverse and<br />
Hollow Squares both in curtain call (a charcoal colour). Hollow Squares is a modern geometric, graphic print<br />
where <strong>Broadhurst</strong> deliberately played with dimension. These prints work really well, and are in keeping with the<br />
Qantas colour scheme, as well as being appealing to both male and female customers. Each kit contains some<br />
great flight essentials and a little summary of information about <strong>Florence</strong>, informing Qantas customers about her<br />
work.
Florentine Tapestry Alternate Rug and Swedish Strip Rug by Cadrys<br />
2009 has seen the international release of the first collection of <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> luxury hand knotted rugs for<br />
the Asia-Pacific and American markets by Cadrys under license to <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>. Ten designs have been<br />
carefully chosen for the first range of <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> rugs. Each design is available in a variety of<br />
customised colourways, from the strength of the original <strong>Florence</strong> colours right through to a more subdued and<br />
restrained tonal palette. With Cadrys overseeing every aspect of the manufacture from design to production, the<br />
collection offers remarkable value for unparalleled quality. Hand-woven in Nepal in a traditional manner, the<br />
pieces feature Tibetan hand-spun wool, hemp, nettle, bamboo silk and luscious pure silk. Cut and loop pile, along<br />
with soumak kelim weaving techniques are used to create a unique accent and texture.<br />
Until tomorrow,<br />
- Helen<br />
The Cranes Rug by Cadrys
<strong>Fabulous</strong> <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>–</strong> Behind the scenes at <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong><br />
Following on from yesterdays impressive insight into <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>, today offers a rare glimpse behind the<br />
scenes of the <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> workshop. It’s amazing to fathom that production of this scale is still done by hand!<br />
An extra thank you to Danielle Hooker for working with Helen in putting these posts together. <strong>–</strong> Jenny x<br />
Above <strong>–</strong> A two colour print on black velvet<br />
We’re always very busy here behind the scenes at <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>, we have a great, hard working, creative team,<br />
using traditional techniques to create our beautiful designs. Here is an insight into what we do and how we do it!<br />
Above left is our very own <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> CEO David Lennie with one of the two screens from <strong>Florence</strong><br />
<strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s The Cranes design. The Cranes is technically very difficult to print, it’s two screens are almost<br />
impossible to align and leave large gaps between the outlines and infill, these are inaccuracies which add to it’s<br />
charm. In our collection we have 520 wooden framed, original <strong>Broadhurst</strong> Hand <strong>Prints</strong> screens, we re-shoot the<br />
most popular designs onto more substantial steel framed screens to preserve these momentous originals. Above<br />
right is our production manager Boyd McCallum printing the very well known Horses Stampede on wallpaper.<br />
<strong>Broadhurst</strong> loved Mylar, a strong polyester coated paper, which is a really strong paper with a shiny finish. We are<br />
proud to still be importing Mylar from the same suppler <strong>Broadhurst</strong> used, helping to preserve the aesthetics and<br />
quality of <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s original prints.
This is David Orford (our ex production manager, Kiwi gone home) running one of <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> hugely<br />
successful workshops offering classes to the public. Lots of people are really interested in learning about<br />
traditional forms of printing and production, often as a result of the ever increasing digital age of the 21st century.<br />
There really is nothing more refreshing than to learn a new hands on skill, especially one where there is visual<br />
evidence of the maker and the care that has been put into the work.<br />
Above is one of <strong>Florence</strong>’s delicate, original wooden screens being used to make a print. To create a print, a<br />
screen is secured into position on the table by pushing it flush against a ‘Stop’. (This is a movable metal stopper<br />
which ensures an accurate repeat). Ink is then passed across the screen with a squeegee, this forces ink through<br />
the small holes within the mesh screen. The screen is then carefully lifted from the table from right to left to ensure<br />
the ink does not smudge as the screen is being removed. One of the most important things is to clean the screen<br />
properly afterwards, this makes sure there is no ink residue that may block the mesh screen once it has dried.
Above <strong>–</strong> Carefully filed and stored original wood frame screens.<br />
Above <strong>–</strong> This is <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s intricate Spanish Tile print being used as research and development for the Russian market.<br />
Here we experimented by using an unusual metallic ink on black velvet.
Above left is Solar, a seventies disco classic printed in repeat at the <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> workshop on one of our<br />
three, 30 meter tables. In this instance Solar has been printed in charcoal and deep red, Solar is a two screen<br />
design, the third colour is a result of over laying the other tones. Above right is Ikeda being carefully printed. Ikeda<br />
is a clean and stylised, repetitive pattern of two-dimensional fans.<br />
A view from our office over looking the workshop. Here we have three 30 meter printing tables and two 10 meter<br />
tables. The two ten meter tables in this picture are currently being used to hold the many different rolls of paper<br />
we print on. Our 30 meter tables have a slightly sticky surface enabling us to secure our fabric to the table without<br />
any creasing. When we wish to print on paper, we simply cover the table with a base cloth and secure the paper<br />
15 cm from the edge of the table.<br />
Our workshop gets rather chilly in the winter, we have a very similar type of workspace to that of which <strong>Florence</strong><br />
worked in. This was a large, tin space with a high roof. As Helen O’Neill, the author of the <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong><br />
book (<strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong>: Her Secret and Extraordinary lives) discovered, <strong>Broadhurst</strong> used a very powerful,<br />
portable kerosene heater to keep the factory warm enough to dry the printing inks. Apparently she also talked<br />
about it as if it were alive. <strong>Florence</strong> was a very eccentric woman, she would say “Oh my lovely salamander” and<br />
“Doesn’t it keep warm?”
This is our carefully stored collection of original, wooden framed <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> Hand <strong>Prints</strong>. We have a<br />
very talented artist who carefully restores and repairs our <strong>Broadhurst</strong> prints to ensure we can continue to use<br />
them to a great standard, and to enable them to be used by generations to come. We are proud to have the world<br />
wide rights to this collection and with that comes great responsibility.<br />
This deep red print and is a prime example of <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s confidence in eye-catching modernist design. The<br />
image above shows the this design being printed in two ten meter sections on one of our 30 meter tables. To dry<br />
our prints, so that they can be rolled up quickly, to free our tables for the next job, we use four very large fans on<br />
each table to ensure that all ink is even and completely dry.
Above <strong>–</strong> The naive Cats and Mice print being printed from <strong>Florence</strong>’s Children’s bedroom range.<br />
This image shows the design Monsterio, which is a two colour print and here it is being printed on fabric. A<br />
separate frame is needed for each colour that is in a design, these screens must all ‘register’ perfectly with each<br />
other, if any of them are a millimetre out the repeat will not be consistent or hang properly. Creating more than<br />
one screen involves breaking up the original design and creating separate images on clear sheeting, this will be<br />
exposed onto a screen using a light sensitive permanent ink.<br />
The design in this image is also waiting for its second repeat, but already has had it’s second colour applied. We<br />
print every other section of the substrate we are using to enable the ink to dry, this is because each frame extends<br />
over the edge of the first print. If we were to print on wet or damp ink imperfections would occur and spoil the<br />
whole piece we are working on.
This is a three colour design being printed on 30 meters of fabric. Fabric screens are a lot wider than wallpaper<br />
screens, this ensures that the print covers the standard width of a roll of fabric. Printing on fabric is a two person<br />
job which involves one person standing on either side of the table. Ink is passed across the screen with a<br />
squeegee just like in wallpaper printing. Although in this case the squeegee is pushed through from person to<br />
person at a central point on the screen. Here it is really important that both persons apply the same amount of<br />
pressure onto the screen, both keep the squeegee at the same angle and follow through when passing or<br />
receiving to the other. This ensures that the print has a consistent and even coverage on both sides of the fabric.<br />
See you tomorrow!<br />
- Helen<br />
Above <strong>–</strong> Artwork for Rabbits and Poodles, a two dimensional playpen of birds, turtles, dachshunds, fish, mice, cats and poodles inspired by<br />
illustrations from 1950’s children’s books.
<strong>Fabulous</strong> <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>–</strong> Living with <strong>Broadhurst</strong><br />
After yesterday’s wonderful glimpse behind the scenes at <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong>, today Helen shares some of her favorite<br />
projects using <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s designs! Suddenly I feel the urge to wallpaper… <strong>–</strong> Jenny x<br />
So after so much talking yesterday, I thought I would show you some of my favorite prints, and some of the great<br />
ways they have been used. We are really pleased that <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s prints are popping up everywhere, being used<br />
just as much now as they were during the time of their creation. These are timeless designs which still look amazing<br />
50 years after their debut.<br />
Above left is a chair which was re-upholstered by the lovely Emma who is part of our sales team at our <strong>Signature</strong><br />
<strong>Prints</strong> showroom. The design shown here is the fun, fashion favorite Aubrey. To the right is an image from Weego<br />
Home in the USA. This is the Egrets, usually a two colour print used beautifully in monotone contrasts this works<br />
elegantly against the mustard yellow. The Egrets display unusual character and stature. Each of the standing birds<br />
is 40 cm tall.
These images are from the Woodson and Rummerfield House of Design, West Hollywood,USA and is the style of<br />
Ron Woodson and Jamie Rummerfield. This house was host to the L.A launch of the biography ‘<strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong>:<br />
Her Secret and Extraordinary Lives’. The couch is upholstered with Circles and Squares print,which combines<br />
both Asian styling and simple geometric forms, while the cushions are upholstered in The Cranes. The feature<br />
wall behind is Turnabouts, a print that epitomises the importance of the circle to <strong>Broadhurst</strong>. Turnabouts is the<br />
ultimate in large scale geometrics <strong>–</strong> each circle is approximately 35 centimetres wide.<br />
The chair on the left is The Cranes, also used by Woodson and Rummerfield. The Cranes is one of our most popular<br />
prints, although it is technically very difficult to print; it’s screens are impossible to align and leave large gaps<br />
between the outlines and infill. This means there are often a few inaccuracies which add to it’s charm.<br />
I love this design!! On the left is our very popular Japanese Floral print used in a bespoke colour for Tapet Cafe in<br />
Copenhagen. Its great to see how different people use our prints, and we love it when people choose a custom<br />
colour to give new light to one of our designs. The right is the Shadow Floral print, used elegantly in a bathroom on<br />
Silver Optiuixin teal by De Ce Design, NZ.
Greg Natale has been working in the design industry for 15 years and is a great friend of ours. Over the years he<br />
has honed his experiences in various practices and has worked across the full spectrum of corporate interiors and<br />
high-end residential projects. Greg designs with the purpose of creating cutting edge work with the integration of<br />
design and decoration.<br />
Greg has used many of our <strong>Florence</strong> designs to completely transform a house in Woollahra. The client that he was<br />
working with was an Australian living in London. Natale thought that it was so appropriate for her to pay homage to<br />
the Iconic Australian designer. The Cockatoos wallpaper was used in a room for a set of twins. Greg believed that<br />
this gave them a real sense of their Australian roots.<br />
This is Steps also used by Greg Natale. For this commissioned piece we printed the fabric for the bed linen, the<br />
wall paper, fibreglass paneling and also some limited edition art. This is a brave choice and works wonderfully.<br />
Greg won the Belle/Space Apartment of the Year award.
Summer Garden used in a refreshing and classic green again by Grey Natale. A closer view of Summer Garden <strong>–</strong><br />
This print is originally a two colour print consisting of a key line and infill, in this instance only the infill has been<br />
used.<br />
[Greg’s work can be seen at www.gregnatale.com or on his facebook page.]<br />
I love this very brave quilt and selection of cushions, a great example of how lots of different prints can work well<br />
together!! This image shows Circles and Squares, The Cranes and Japanese Floral all printed using the same<br />
rouge ink. The Cranes demonstrates classic chinoiserie, inspired by the English colonial aesthetic of the late<br />
1800’s. There are only two cranes per 910 mm repeat <strong>–</strong> unique and effective!
To the left is Solar in yellow and blue, contrasting beautifully against a blue and white stripe. On the right is Fingers<br />
used in a beautiful warm red as cushion coverings. Fingers is a block design alive with an almost three-dimensional<br />
feel. This is <strong>Broadhurst</strong>’s take on sixties modernism.<br />
This is Oriental Filigree in reverse, beautifully upholstered onto a vintage chair. On the right is Fingers in black and<br />
white, used to upholster a chair and footstool.<br />
Until tomorrow,<br />
- Helen
<strong>Fabulous</strong> <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>–</strong> Living with <strong>Broadhurst</strong><br />
What a fabulous week it’s been! A HUGE thank you Helen & David Lennie and Danielle Hooker for such a great collection<br />
of guest blogs. Today we get a very special insight into what inspires Helen and a collection of things she<br />
loves. Enjoy! -Jenny x<br />
Inspiring photographs from Aquabumps<br />
One of the best things about working here at <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> is having the opportunity to work with some amazing<br />
clients, collaborate with some of Australia’s best designers and meet some really creative contacts and friends!<br />
At <strong>Signature</strong> we have recently had the pleasure of working with Alexia Gnecchi-Ruscone, the brilliant designer and<br />
founder of the niche fashion label Eclettica! The Eclettica collection boasts cool linen separates (a must have this<br />
summer!) and stunning Mediterranean-style sandals for everyday wear, the evening and holiday. Eclettica also features<br />
a great handbag and wallet range, beautifully crafted in fine Italian leather. The Eclettica range showcases new<br />
and on-trend styles that remain true to their original design philosophy <strong>–</strong> elegant yet practical.
Alexia and I met almost five years ago, she had only recently moved to Australia from Italy when she stumbled<br />
across the story of <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong>. Alexia loved the whirlwind tale of <strong>Florence</strong> and fell in love with her designs<br />
just as we had a few years earlier. Alexia soon popped in to see us and find out more, and after this we decided it<br />
would be great to work together!<br />
Above <strong>–</strong> Eclettica‘s Rimini bag, Palm Beach Sandal, St Topez bag and silk, lagoon dip dyed Kimono Dress.<br />
Together we have crafted <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> & Eclettica bags, transforming some of Alexia’s best and most renowned<br />
bags with some of <strong>Florence</strong>’s most prestigious prints. We decided to double brand the product giving each of<br />
our companies’ equal and great exposure. We both love working with like minded people and this was the start of<br />
both a great personal and professional relationship. Our bags went down a treat and we absolutely love them!! To<br />
see Eclettica’s new spring range why not pop down to her lovely shops in Potts Point and Woollahra, all details can<br />
be found on her website,<br />
On the left <strong>–</strong> <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> & Eclettica Deauville bag in Horses Stampede. On the right <strong>–</strong> <strong>Florence</strong> <strong>Broadhurst</strong> Eclettica Riviera clutch in
I just love Alexia’s designs and have such an appreciation for them. My wardrobe is full of Eclettica’s smart yet practical<br />
new spring collection. Her clothing is simple, fresh and great for my busy lifestyle, yet I know that its great quality<br />
and lovingly made. Alexia sources only the finest fabrics which are then made into beautiful garments. This is one of<br />
the reasons our two brands work so well together <strong>–</strong> we’re both really passionate about showcasing ultra great Australian<br />
design which is practical, bespoke and in-disposable.<br />
On the left <strong>–</strong> Dip dyed, silk, Kimono Dress in Lagoon, the Ailsa sandal and the Rimini bag in silver. On the right: The Cuba dress, the St. Tropez bag<br />
in natural linen with tan trims, double Elba belt and the Pompei sandal in tan.<br />
This is one of my favorite outfits from Eclettica’s new spring range and I recently bought the lovely top and scarf, the<br />
palm beach sandal pictured below in this beautifully photographed image by Juli Balla, I have actually had for a few<br />
seasons <strong>–</strong> I absolutely love them. I just wish I could get away with these lovely white jeans, a big hazard working in a<br />
hand-print workshop!!<br />
Above <strong>–</strong> Palm Beach sandal in orange patent, the St. Tropez bag in black cotton canvas with tan trims, Striped T-Shirt and the Classic Panama hat.
Another great design is the Rimini bag, a charming little bag for the evening, just the right size for your iphone and a<br />
few credit cards which enables you to be handsfree! The strap on this bag also unclips, transforming it into an ultra<br />
cute little clutch.<br />
On the left <strong>–</strong> The Rimini bag in Silver. On the Right: The Rimini bag in Black Mock-Crocodile.<br />
Mr Rose, another of my favorite designers and a great friend has become a real inspiration to me over the past few<br />
years. But who is Mr Rose? Mr Rose is in fact the lovely Sophie Toohey, she herself explains that “He is the fantastical<br />
figure I conjured to channel a love of design, exquisite detailing, beautiful fabrics and the joy of dressing-up. With<br />
a team of talented femmes, this affair of the heart translates into seasonal collections that we design and make in<br />
Sydney, Australia.”<br />
Mr Rose is a one of a kind, Australian women’s shirting specialist, here they use premium fabrics with a real focus<br />
creating beautiful femme silhouettes with an eye for the all important detail. Mr Rose celebrates shirting in all its<br />
guises, from the crisp tuxedo to the relaxed weekend “artisan” tunic style. I just love how designer Sophie blends<br />
both feminine and masculine styling to create a boutique label that only produces a limited edition of styles each season.<br />
The new spring range consists of a fabulous collection for women that understand and appreciate quality. These<br />
lovely, recently shot photographs of the collection are of local business women who work within the area of their Norfolk<br />
Street, Paddington boutique. The Mr Rose team are continuously inspired by the confident women who wear<br />
their shirts.<br />
Here are some of the key looks I love from the spring summer 2010 collection -<br />
Above <strong>–</strong> This is the lovely “Mu”, a beautiful silk cotton piece available in charcoal, amalfi and blush as seen here. I think this is absolutely brilliant<br />
for an Australian summer, its so easy to wear <strong>–</strong> dress is up or down, its breezy and the fabric feels divine!
Above <strong>–</strong> This is the brilliant Mr Rose “Waistcoat” and “Short”. This is a great energetic Italian digital print. Worn separately or together they form<br />
the romper suit of childhood dreams. This piece is great worn with heels on a summers evening destined for a great adventure of the adult-kind.<br />
Above <strong>–</strong> This fine specimen is one of my favorites <strong>–</strong> the “Artisan”<br />
I just love the confidence of this brand, their bio states “We love the snap of a crisp white Italian cotton, the visual<br />
splendor of an eye-dancing print, an off-beat colour combination, the weight of a sandwash silk on the body, the<br />
scent of a shirt hot-off-the-press <strong>–</strong> and we harbour a quiet fetish for sticking pins into a freshly made pincushion <strong>–</strong> it’s<br />
all about the “pop!”. Mr Rose is unique boutique designer who prides itself on exquisite detailing, which in my opinion<br />
are extremely well received and important in an era of mass production. Here at <strong>Signature</strong> <strong>Prints</strong> we just love small<br />
run, niche brands, owner operated and run by people who love design, for people who love design <strong>–</strong> Just like us!