AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 13.
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MOOD<br />
IN BLOOM<br />
When textile designer Althea McNish<br />
arrived in London in the early 1950s,<br />
she brought with her a bright and bold<br />
aesthetic that would help shape midcentury<br />
design. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, McNish<br />
emigrated to the UK as part of the Windrush<br />
Generation — Caribbean citizens of the British<br />
Empire entreated by the British government to relocate<br />
to the UK to rebuild a country that had been decimated<br />
by World War II. McNish brought her “tropical eye” with<br />
her, marrying the colorful blooms of her childhood with<br />
the muted and often drab backdrop that she would see in<br />
her new home. Her blooms would become part of the visual<br />
language of some of today’s most successful design<br />
and fashion houses — Liberty, Dior, and Heal’s to name<br />
just a few. Althea’s aesthetic influence continues to be<br />
felt today, in floral prints that can be found on just about<br />
everything — bedding, furniture, wallpaper, art, and so<br />
much more. An ode to McNish, who passed away at the<br />
age of 95 in May 2020, we celebrate Black art and design<br />
that is in bloom this fall.<br />
Le Jardin Tropical Bowl<br />
$150<br />
baughausdesign.com<br />
Lucille Wallpaper by<br />
David Quarles IV in<br />
Flamingo starting at<br />
$6/yard<br />
chasingpaper.com<br />
Brass sculpture from<br />
The Myths of Eternal<br />
Life, Chapter II Series<br />
by Zohra Opoku<br />
marianeibrahim.com<br />
contact for price<br />
Kehinde Wiley Set of 6<br />
Porcelain Plates $675<br />
kehindewileyshop.com<br />
28 aphrochic
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