Mary White (textile designer)
Encyclopedia
Mary White trained as a textile designer and studied textile design at the Thanet School of Art and Crafts. She was one of the most iconic textile print designers of the 1950s.
and at Heathrow Airport. Her unique creations are now undergoing a resurgence of interest among the fashion conscious.
Mary was designing during the same period as Lucienne Day
. To create her memorable designs Mary drew on the work of William Morris
, books of flowers and the countryside where she grew up and has lived throughout her life. In turn her work has influenced leading fashion icons such as Mary Quant
, Laura Ashley
and Sir Terence Conran
.
Mary created hundreds of designs in her career, which she gave up to raise her family. Some of her most famous creations such as Coppice, Cottage Garden and Zinnia were best sellers in leading outlets including Liberty
and Heals.
The design Cottage Garden was one of Mary’s most successful designs. It was made available by Heals in 1955, at a price of 10s 9d per yard, coming onto the market at a time when a greater number of people than ever were accepting “contemporary” design.
Many of Mary’s designs are exhibited in museums all over the world including the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London, the Warner Textile Archive
http://www.warnertextilearchive.co.uk in Essex and Whitworth Art Gallery
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/ The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester] in Manchester.
Collectors of fifties fabric continue to collect Mary White material.
Mary's designs continue to be included in books on the subject of 1950s textile design such as 20th Century Pattern Design by Lesley Jackson
, design curator, historian and author.
Mary was also involved in Thanet Pottery, having also studied pottery at Thanet School of Art. Thanet Pottery was a collaboration between Mary (then using her married name of Mary Dening) and her brother, David White. Thanet Pottery made hand painted slip cast earthenware pottery and their items were sold to High Street chains in the early 1960s. These items continue to be very collectible.
Recent examples of Mary's work include men's shirts produced for Pigletchops (with her son, Jeremy Dening and daughter-in-law Sarah Dening, as well as retro print bikinis which still sell via Shop on Your Doorstep http://www.shoponyourdoorstep.com
Mary's famous Coppice print was reproduced as a rug and sold in John Lewis as recently as 2010 http://www.retrotogo.com/2010/03/1950sdesigned-honesty-rug-from-john-lewis.html
Career
Mary enjoyed a huge reputation as one of the leading fabric designers of the 1950s, and later became a teacher. Her work could be found in homes across the world as well as in cabins aboard the RMS Queen MaryRMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
and at Heathrow Airport. Her unique creations are now undergoing a resurgence of interest among the fashion conscious.
Mary was designing during the same period as Lucienne Day
Lucienne Day
Désirée Lucienne Day RDI was a British textile designer. Inspired by abstract art, she pioneered the use of bright, optimistic, abstract patterns in post-war England, and was eventually celebrated worldwide....
. To create her memorable designs Mary drew on the work of William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, books of flowers and the countryside where she grew up and has lived throughout her life. In turn her work has influenced leading fashion icons such as Mary Quant
Mary Quant
Mary Quant OBE FCSD is a British] fashion designer and British fashion icon, who was instrumental in the mod fashion movement. She was one of the designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants. Born in Blackheath, London, to Welsh parents, Quant brought fun and fantasy to...
, Laura Ashley
Laura Ashley
Laura Ashley was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She became a household name on the strength of her work as a designer and manufacturer of a range of colourful fabrics for clothes and home furnishings....
and Sir Terence Conran
Terence Conran
Sir Terence Orby Conran, FCSD, is an English designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer.-Early life and education:Terence Conran was born in Kingston upon Thames, the son of Christina Mabel and South African-born Gerard Rupert Conran, a businessman who owned a rubber importation company in East...
.
Mary created hundreds of designs in her career, which she gave up to raise her family. Some of her most famous creations such as Coppice, Cottage Garden and Zinnia were best sellers in leading outlets including Liberty
Liberty (department store)
Liberty is a long-established department store in Regent Street in Central London, England, in the West End shopping district.-Early years:...
and Heals.
The design Cottage Garden was one of Mary’s most successful designs. It was made available by Heals in 1955, at a price of 10s 9d per yard, coming onto the market at a time when a greater number of people than ever were accepting “contemporary” design.
Many of Mary’s designs are exhibited in museums all over the world including the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in London, the Warner Textile Archive
Warner Textile Archive
The Warner Textile Archive is a UK-based collection of textiles, designs and paper records operated by Braintree District Museum Trust Ltd.Based in Braintree, Essex, the Archive consists of some 100,000 items representing the creative and commercial legacy of Warner & Sons, a textile firm which...
http://www.warnertextilearchive.co.uk in Essex and Whitworth Art Gallery
Whitworth Art Gallery
The Whitworth Art Gallery is an art gallery in Manchester, England, containing about 55,000 items in its collection. The museum is located south of the Manchester University campus, in Whitworth Park....
http://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/ The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester] in Manchester.
Collectors of fifties fabric continue to collect Mary White material.
Mary's designs continue to be included in books on the subject of 1950s textile design such as 20th Century Pattern Design by Lesley Jackson
Lesley Jackson
Lesley Jackson is a London-based design curator, historian and author specialising in twentieth century design. She has published at least eleven books to date, include Twentieth Century Pattern Design from Princeton Architectural Press , The Sixties: Decade of Design Revolution from Phaidon, The...
, design curator, historian and author.
Mary was also involved in Thanet Pottery, having also studied pottery at Thanet School of Art. Thanet Pottery was a collaboration between Mary (then using her married name of Mary Dening) and her brother, David White. Thanet Pottery made hand painted slip cast earthenware pottery and their items were sold to High Street chains in the early 1960s. These items continue to be very collectible.
Recent examples of Mary's work include men's shirts produced for Pigletchops (with her son, Jeremy Dening and daughter-in-law Sarah Dening, as well as retro print bikinis which still sell via Shop on Your Doorstep http://www.shoponyourdoorstep.com
Mary's famous Coppice print was reproduced as a rug and sold in John Lewis as recently as 2010 http://www.retrotogo.com/2010/03/1950sdesigned-honesty-rug-from-john-lewis.html
Family
Mary was married in 1951 to Claude Dening. They had three children and thirteen grandchildren.External links
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1078267/Back-fashion-Fabric-designer-Mary-White-revives-floral-prints-new-generation.html Daily Mail
- Mary White information by Ruth Marler
- Fashion Capital
- Jane Foster
- Decorative Art 50s edited by Charlotte and Peter Fiell
- Thanet Pottery
- http://www.designingwomentextiles.com/#data Designing Women's Textiles
- http://www.director.co.uk/afterhours/shopping/fashion/sfas26.html After Hours
- http://www.rainbownetwork.com/UserPortal/Article/Detail.aspx?ID=21919&sid=5&gnbox_cn=0&gnbox_ca=5 Rainbow Network
- Twentieth-Century Pattern Design by Lesley Jackson
- Mary White interview on Meridian News