Introducing Overlapping Stripe by Paul Smith, the nineteenth woven textile designed in collaboration with the Maharam Design Studio.
A study of transparency, Overlapping Stripe reflects Paul Smith’s interest in expanding the archetypal stripe through unexpected color, texture, and rhythm. Based on a series of printed scarves and leather goods from Paul Smith’s Autumn/Winter 2017 women’s collection, the original pattern titled Crossover Stripe was first developed by layering thin strips of transparent colored tissue paper to create deep, intricate blending.
First reinterpreted by Maharam as the large-scale wall application Transparent Stripe, Smith’s 2010 addition to Maharam Digital Projects explored overlapping washes of watercolor. In its translation to a woven design, the Maharam Design Studio opted for an intricate, domestically woven jacquard construction that deploys light and dark warp ends to render elaborate color mixing as each stripe traverses a dense 17.5" repeat. Propelled by continual movement, spontaneous streams of neutral, pastel, and saturated color form a ribbon-like surface as flat and twill weaves bring forth graphic movement. Offered in a diverse palette of eight, each colorway comprises seven yarn colors including a unifying white yarn that allows for optimal color mixing and a remarkable sense of translucency, given the textile’s opaque materiality. Reflecting Smith’s genius for color, unexpected shades of maize, cornflower, marigold, aubergine, and architectural grays further accentuate Overlapping Stripe’s kaleidoscopic draw.
About Paul Smith
Paul Smith’s ability to combine a flair for eccentric detail with a dedication to the highest standards of craftsmanship has made him among the most successful fashion designers in British history. In business for over forty years, Smith continues to be an integral part of every aspect of the company as both chairman and designer, producing collections sold in over seventy countries worldwide. With an enthusiasm for wide-ranging cultural references and idiosyncratic combinations of pattern and color, applied with understatement, Paul Smith expresses a truly contemporary aesthetic.