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You are here: Home / Blog posts / Behind The Brand; the Tattoo collection

Behind The Brand; the Tattoo collection

March 24, 2019 By Deborah Carr

24 Mar

 

This collection is one of our most beautiful to date, and has also been one of the most interesting and fun to work on. When creating a new design, it’s often a particular drawing or painting technique that inspires themes and designs and this was certainly the case for the Tattoo collection.

Using bright inks and a rotary pen allowed for detailed and intricate designs, reflecting the technique found in tattoo  art. The focus on floral and natural designs fit the technique perfectly. The collection focuses on fluidity and movement and a bold colour scheme. We created a vibrant colour palette using ink with an initial focus on shades of blue and red, inspired by Japanese embroidery and antique kimonos. In particular, a kimono with embroidery that meandered down the front and back to allow a migration of the design. The intricacy found across traditional Japanese hand embroidered robes is fascinating, creating beautiful designs that are bold, daring, and make a statement –everything the Tattoo Collection aspires to be.

The ideas of a pattern moving through fabric as opposed to simply acting as an all over print was very inspiring. This fluidity and movement was also evident in many of the early works of Alexander McQueen, specifically when considering the chain-fringed evening gown made for Givenchy as part of the S/S haute couture collection in 1998 and his Savage Beauty gown for S/S 2001 where he explored motion using metal scales and chain-work. Manipulating heavy and industrial materials to appear soft and feminine inspired thought into how a subtle flow could be expressed across a print, especially when using the block colours transferred from Japanese kimono art.

Differentiating from previous designs, the Tattoo Collection is part of a collaboration with Sharon Cunningham who played an important role in transforming my vision into a reality. Having already experimented with using similar prints for pocket squares, I was interested in working across a larger scale. As a pattern cutter with a great eye for shape and construction, Sharon was involved in frequent discussions about my sketches and ideas where her advice and opinions helped the collection to really prosper. Her toiles were beautiful and we worked together in adjusting designs and improving them so that they could encapsulate the collection perfectly across key garment pieces.

Some our our favourite pieces include the D’Arblay shirt and Lexington dress in the hero print. Having named each piece after the streets surrounding a tattoo parlour on D’Arblay street, this collection feels really personal. It reminds me of one of my first jobs for the English National Opera and the time I spent in Soho, collecting fabric samples for costume designers.

The current collection can be found on the online shop. If you’d like to see more of our design inspiration, our
official Pinterest is full of ideas and images that will give an insight into what makes us tick.

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Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: Longstaff Longstaff, silk daywear, Tattoo collection

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IN THE PRESS

Fabric Magazine loves Longstaff Longstaff silk

… indulge your inner Hollywood screen siren and slip into something more comfortable - like the totally glamorous and utterly decadent silk loungewear from Longstaff Longstaff..
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2017-07-14T10:49:08+00:00
… indulge your inner Hollywood screen siren and slip into something more comfortable - like the totally glamorous and utterly decadent silk loungewear from Longstaff Longstaff..
https://longstafflongstaff.com/testimonials/longstaff-longstaff-fabric-magazine/

Hot silk Kimonos, Glamour Magazine

Longstaff Longstaff’s Buttercup kimono - sassy as hell!

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Longstaff Longstaff’s Buttercup kimono - sassy as hell!
https://longstafflongstaff.com/testimonials/hot-silk-kimonos/

The Robb Report, Malaysia

…The ultimate in comfort, it has to be confessed, is loungewear. British brand Longstaff Longstaff gets that, introducing a collection of luxury loungewear…

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…The ultimate in comfort, it has to be confessed, is loungewear. British brand Longstaff Longstaff gets that, introducing a collection of luxury loungewear…
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A real life party ❤️ Thank you @erthsw9 and @j A real life party ❤️ Thank you @erthsw9 and @jeremymetson ⭐⭐ I can't really cope with selfies but give me a party and I can sing and dance to camera 💃💃💃💃💃💃
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Doodling again, though for an activity I find rela Doodling again, though for an activity I find relaxing, this looks a bit manic!
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One of thing things I really love about having a b One of thing things I really love about having a business is the unexpected pleasures of a project, and it's always⭐ always⭐ about people ❤️
We had our print workshop yesterday and not only was it lovely to chat and create and mull over which side of a leaf is better for printing 🥰 but people brought friends and family 🙏 What a pleasure it was to see grandparents (aged 94) parents, grown up daughters and friends messing around with ribbon, potatoes, banana skins and candle sticks to make fabulous patterns together ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Loved your stripes, mandalas and blurry jars ❤️
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⭐ It's our print workshop today 😃 ⭐ Really ⭐ It's our print workshop today 😃 ⭐ Really looking forward to it - I'm going to make a cup of tea, clear a space on the table and clear some headspace 🥰 Hope you'll join me. It's such a lovely way to relax and I always find I have a bit of headspace after being creative. Sign up in the Eventbrite link in bio and see you at 5pm. 
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Rent 🌿Resale🌿Repair 🌿 Remodel🌿 Repurpo Rent 🌿Resale🌿Repair 🌿 Remodel🌿 Repurpose🌿 We're so excited to bring our beautifully made clothes inline with the circular fashion movement. And to acknowledge #fashionrevolutionweek here's the audio about the Worn Again page. Launching soon, we'll have a few pieces to hire and if we can find anyone willing to let go of their loved Longstaff Longstaff, we can resell it for them too. Our repair, remodel and repurpose service is always ready to help you, just drop us a line and keep a look out for Worn Again 💚 👀 💚👀💚
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Full 2 mins on Audio Library. Link in bio ⬆️
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I've been meaning to do a print workshop for custo I've been meaning to do a print workshop for customers, followers subscribers, in fact anyone who loves getting a bit messy and playing with shapes and textures. Did a test drive with friends from #lcf and had a blast! I find it so relaxing making patterns and experimenting with found objects. Unexpected favourites? Have you ever printed with popcorn? 🍿 Nope, me neither but that's what @georginajoan_ brought to the party and @frankly_felicia
was frankly super sophisticated with beautiful rosemary. 💚 Other winners were recycled bubblewrap, the humble potato, mushrooms, corks and forks! 
Definitely doing this again, look out 🧡👀🧡
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It's true! We do 🧡 Have a listen on IGTV. It's It's true! We do 🧡 Have a listen on IGTV. It's another snippet from the audio work I did with Rosie at Tickertape Productions, this time all about finding inspiration @stpancrasren 
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