Kaffe Fassett in Bermondsey
Kaffe Fassett (KF) is a Californian who came to the UK when he was very young and liked it so much that he never really went back. Having trained as a painter, he found that he was fascinated by the antiques sold in the Portobello Road market and by the exhibits in the V&A and he spent a lot of time adapting ideas from these artefacts into design work. He learned to do needlepoint and knitting and during the 1980s, in particular, he produced a lot of knitting patterns for Rowan Wools. He also branched out into fabric design, producing flamboyant and colourful cottons for use in patchwork and quilting. KF has been doing all this for a long time; at 85 he is now a grand old man of design and craft. Many people who are keen on craft and the woolly arts will be aware of his work.
The Museum of Fashion and Textiles
I had not previously been to the Bermondsey museum. In fact, I hadn’t been to Bermondsey in decades, probably not since I worked there as the accountant for a magazine publisher. In those days Bermondsey was a grim and grimy location and somewhat frightening at night, but of course much has changed. It’s scrubbed up well; there are now cool coffee bars and restaurants, and it all looks relatively clean.
The Fashion and Textile Museum has been there since 2003. It’s quite small, which is a definite plus for me, as I soon get tired and/or overwhelmed when there’s too much stuff to see. The exhibition took over the whole place and it’s truly an eyeful. Much of the main exhibition space is occupied by large quilts which use KF’s signature fabric designs. There are a couple of examples below:
What can you say? Exuberant, over the top, gorgeous, unrestrained? Ordinary adjectives don’t seem quite enough. Like a very rich food, a little goes a long way. But it was quite an experience being there amongst it all. It’s not just quilts; other exhibits included some of KF’s needlepoint cushions which was the first aspect of his work that I noticed back in the 1990s. And some of the needlepoint is by other people, notably KF’s partner Brandon Mably who is a significant designer in his own right.
KF has become something of an institution. His books and widely available textile designs have been very influential. What a guy. What an exhibition. Long may he survive to splash the colour about.
Sources of information
KF’s own website (www.kaffefassett.com) has much gorgeous and colourful imagery. Also, he has published many books. I remembered getting a couple of KF’s books out of the library years ago. When I got home after the exhibition, I looked on World of Books (what an amazing resource it is) and found two of KF’s books from the late 1980s which cost me a very reasonable £7.50. These are great books, especially the one about needlepoint, full of vivid images (many models with really big hair) and some very sound practical advice about design.
Many of his needlepoint designs are still produced by Ehrman Tapestry (www.ehrmantapestry.com). Worth a look if you like needlepoint and don’t want to design your own.
Please note: the exhibition at Bermondsey is now closed. It has moved to Edinburgh and can be seen at the Dovecot studios (www.dovecotstudios.com) between 13 April and 6 July 2023.