The Princess Royal has undergone a major renovation programme utilising the very best of British manufacturing and design. We always work with people we know and trust and whose work we love and so are excited to showcase the skill and incredible workmanship of some of these brilliant companies. One of these is Fermoie, an artisanal fabric producer, suppliers of the fabric for much of the upholstery at The Princess Royal.
The team at Fermoie create beautiful and original fabrics. Everything is done from their factory in Wiltshire: the drawing, experimenting and printing and because everything is done in-house, the highest quality is ensured. One of the things that makes Fermoie so unique is their design and printing technique. Layers of colour on textured weaves shine through and interact with the prevailing light.
Water based pigments are mixed to create a bespoke colour palette and the use of natural dyes create a rich and varied pool of colours that feed into all our collections. Whether specifying basecloths, mixing dyes or discussing initial designs, Fermoie’s close-knit team are all passionate, talented experts in their chosen fields.
We caught up with Rosie MacCurrach, Head of Studio at Fermoie to ask a few questions. Rosie looks after everything visual at Fermoie from new designs and creating new colours as well as photoshoots.
Can you tell us a bit about the history of the company?
Fermoie launched nearly 10 years ago. From highly pigmented paint to printing fine textiles, Fermoie was the natural progression for Farrow & Ball founders, Tom Helme and Martin Ephson – taking their deep expertise in colour and light to a new, more textural dimension. We’ve grown a lot in our first decade of trading, originally launching 140 colourways and 8 designs. Now we now have over 400 colourways and 33 designs with many more to come.
Cubitt House is proud to support British industry and Designers. Can you tell us a bit about Fermoie and what do you think is the secret of your success?
We’re glad to hear you champion the British textiles industry, we’re proud to be part of this community. I think our expertise in colour and fabric sets us apart. We are a design led business, creating completely original fabrics, pushing boundaries to create a truly unique aesthetic. Our product offering of fabrics, cushions and lampshades are colourful and exciting, something for every scheme.
Could you guide us through the process from an idea to the design to the finished product of, for example a Poulton Stripe fabric that we are using at the Double Red Duke?
New ideas and creative direction come from so many different influences, places, experiences, unusual objects, contemporary culture. Our designs, often with traditional echoes, have the distinction of being completely original – we don’t revive old prints or patterns. Instead, we chose to create anew and each design is conceived in our studio, often starting with drawing outside in nature, from observation – leaving space for transformation and new ideas to take shape.
Colour is at the heart of everything we do. We use natural dyes to create a rich and varied pool of colour that feeds into building every new collection. Once we have an initial design, we put into on to a silk-screen and do all our own trialling. Creating fabric with texture is a key part of the Fermoie aesthetic. Layers of colour and texture created by different impressions bring the design and the fabric alive, allowing the weave to really play a part in the design. Each pattern is created for a specific bespoke base cloth. Our Poulton stripe, printed on our 100% cotton, is a perfect example of this; our love of block printing demonstrated in the drawing of this classic layered narrow stripe.
Our aim is to create fabric that is beautiful and unique, natural colours and patterns that tell a story and evoke an atmosphere. Fabric that is beautiful from a distance and even more exciting when you sit on it.
Could you guide us through the process from an idea to the design to the finished product of, for example a Poulton Stripe fabric that we are using at the Double Red Duke?
New ideas and creative direction come from so many different influences, places, experiences, unusual objects, contemporary culture. Our designs, often with traditional echoes, have the distinction of being completely original – we don’t revive old prints or patterns. Instead, we chose to create anew and each design is conceived in our studio, often starting with drawing outside in nature, from observation – leaving space for transformation and new ideas to take shape.
Colour is at the heart of everything we do. We use natural dyes to create a rich and varied pool of colour that feeds into building every new collection. Once we have an initial design, we put into on to a silk-screen and do all our own trialling. Creating fabric with texture is a key part of the Fermoie aesthetic. Our aim is to create fabric that is beautiful and unique, natural colours and patterns that tell a story and evoke an atmosphere. Fabric that is beautiful from a distance and even more exciting when you sit on it.
Layers of colour and texture created by different impressions bring the design and the fabric alive, allowing the weave to really play a part in the design. Each pattern is created for a specific bespoke base cloth. Our Poulton stripe, printed on our 100% cotton, is a perfect example of this; our love of block printing demonstrated in the drawing of this classic layered narrow stripe.
