Arts & Crafts - William Morris

William Morris was an English designer, writer and lecturer which took part of the 'Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood' and English 'Arts & Crafts movement'. He began his artistic skills by studying at the oxford university and afterwords he began his training as an architect.

Morris was a great friend of Dante Gabriell Rossetti, infect in several paintings of Dante there's featured William's wife 'Jane Morris'.

Morris founded an art firm in collaboration with Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Webb, and others, this was called 'Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co' & later in 1875 he started his own firm 'Morris & Company'.

The designer William was very much influenced by medievalist, and in his pattern designs you can easily identify the inspirations of certain leaves etc..

He was a pattern genius with brilliant ideas.

William wallpaper designs and interior decor had revolutionized the idea of arts and crafts. In fact the medieval inspired patterns had became as his trade-mark.

Now a days Morris is a very common source of inspiration in several different sectors of the design industries all over the world.

• Fashion industry

New York fashion week autumn/winter collection of Ostwald Helgason, Alice + Olivia and Tory Burch 2013.

The designer shows their clear inspirations from Morris as they transferred several patterns and made them their own by creating garments that are fashion forward.

The one garment that stood out the most in my idea was the Alice + Olivia Floral Skirt. It's is beautifully sewn and has a magnificent pattern/colour scheme.

[Alice + Olivia Floral Skirt , New York Fashion Week, 2013]

Alex Korchynski, March 23,2013,Design, William Morris inspires at New York Fashion Week,  http://www.thegenteel.com/articles/design/william-morris, [Accessed on 20/03/14]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Morris, [Accessed on 20/03/14]