I always look forward to new No. 9 textile collections thanks in large part to designer Richard Smith's inventive and sometimes whimsical designs. Smith's extensive knowledge of history and the decorative arts coupled with a curiosity for the exotic seem to provide endless, not to mention fruitful, inspiration for his collections, and this seems to be the case with his latest, named Tiger Tiger.
The collection sprang from Smith's interest in Tibetan tiger rugs, specifically a 1990 exhibit, "The Tiger Rugs of Tibet", that was held at the Hayward Gallery, London. The star print of the collection- at least, to me- is Tiger Tiger, which depicts a tiger ensconced in a bamboo forest. These tigers really do look like Tibetan tiger rugs come to life. Other fabrics include Lhasa (a trellis print), Xara (a fretwork woven fabric), and Tibetan Maze. Additionally, there are two embroidered tapes.
For more information, please visit the Jim Thompson Fabrics website. And to learn more about Tibetan tiger rugs, click here to read my recent blog post.
Xara
All images courtesy of No. 9/ Jim Thompson Fabrics.