The International Contemporary Furniture Fair is widely recognised as america’s leading event for contemporary interior design.

The international design community gathers in New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center every may for four days of buying, viewing, networking and promotional activities.

You can find the The British European Design Group's contingent in Hall 1A - Aisles 2302-2324, 2403-2421, 2402-2426, 2501-2531

British Inspiration & Innovation in Textiles and Fibres - A special exhibition showcasing the best of British talent in surface design

Concept and curation by Karin-Beate Phillips (Watch the video...)

As Chloe Colchester writes in her book The New Textiles: ‘The design and manufacture of textiles is one of man’s oldest industries… But although textile making is an ancient activity, it is not a conservative one. The very centrality of fabric in human culture has ensured that it is at the forefront of both technological and artistic development.’

In the last thirty years extensive research programmes have allowed the Western World to develop new, technology rich products creating the next generations of synthetics. Non-corrosive, stronger and lighter than metal they are used in space and air and marine craft; they are woven into bulletproof jackets, used for car battery linings, heart surgery and bridge building. New fibre technologies improve human safety like the featherweight electronically triggered new airbag developed by Mercedes Benz. They enhance fashion garments and accessories, have transformed luggage design and even created a new art discipline: fibre sculpture!

In Great Britain, innovation in fabric and textile technologies and design has probably an older and stronger tradition than in any other creative discipline. From William Morris and Liberty prints to Punk and Street Style, Britain can look back at a century of excellence in fabric design evolving from arts and crafts tapestries to embrace an incredibly diverse new range of materials like rubber and recyclable industrial waste. This, together with the computer age, has opened the doors to an entirely new universe of pattern manipulation.

The prevailing tradition amongst all new generations of designers has always been an almost total disregard for visual conventions and manufacturing restraints. Yet it is this challenge of breaking new ground and overcoming limitations that is the true foundation of innovation.

Britain’s explosion of creative talent in the last four decades has secured the place of small and medium-sized businesses at the heart of the national economy. Small studios are now at liberty to put their skills and inspiration to work, creating products as beautiful and imaginative as they are useful.

Discover a selection of such work at ‘Fabric Fantasia’ showcasing surface designs inspired by nature, technology, travel, recycling and popular cultures as they cross the boundaries between art and lifestyle environments.

Exhibition design: Susan Woods
Styling: Sefán Orschel-Read
Accessories: Paldinder Nangla
Installation: Ali Siahvoshi

Watch the video...