This thread tells a story about a couch with Mughal-inspired designs, linked to Drake's of London, a British menswear brand. It explains how silk and printing traditions from China to Britain shaped these patterns, and how British mills like David Evans created hand-printed textiles. The story highlights cultural mixing, craftsmanship, and how history inspires modern fashion and accessories.
Let me tell you a beautiful story about this couch. 🧵
Some will recognize these motifs as Mughal paintings, which flourished on the Indian subcontinent sometime between the 16th and 18th century. But menswear nerds will recognize them as something else: Drake's of London.
Left: thrifted couch
Right: Drake's of London scarf
Drake's of London is a menswear label that started in the 1970s, initially with men's accessories, but having since grown to a full line of apparel. They are known for many things, but this print is perhaps their most famous. It appears on scarves, pocket squares, and even ties.
To understand the significance of these accessories, we have to go back — far back.
If lore is to be believed, then silk was invented about 4,000 years ago when a silkworm cocoon fell into an empress's teacup. The cocoon softened and unraveled, exposing its filaments.
For two thousand years, China had a near monopoly on silk production. They guarded the knowledge of sericulture as a state secret with severe punishment for smuggling (including death). Silk became a major driver of trade and wealth along what later became known as the Silk Road.
But knowledge eventually spread. A Chinese princess supposedly hid silkworm eggs and mulberry seeds in her headdress when she visited her husband in India. Centuries later, two monks carried silkworm eggs west in hollow bamboo canes, bringing sericulture to the Byzantine Empire.
Silk weaving arrived in England in the late 17th century by way of French Protestants known as the Huguenots. Fleeing persecution, many settled in London’s Spitalfields under the later Stuart monarchs. Their welcome was later strengthened by King William III and Queen Mary II.
At first, native Londoners protested. Many worked textile jobs and feared that the Huguenots, who were silk weavers, would undercut wages and take their jobs. There were violent anti-immigrant riots. But over time, the Huguenots actually *expanded* the British textile industry.
They turned Spitalfields into a major silk hub and created jobs in nearby towns. In Kent and Dorset, people raised silkworms and mulberry plants. Along the River Test in Hampshire, the Whitchurch Silk Mill transformed cocoons into bundles of silk thread and eventually cloth.
Princess Diana’s wedding dress came from this uniquely British supply chain: silk raised at Robert Goodden’s Compton House in Dorset, woven into ivory taffeta by Stephen Walters & Sons in Suffolk, and then made into the gown by David and Elizabeth Emanuel at their Mayfair studio.
Some of this silk also landed at David Evans, a British printing house located in Crayford along the River Cray. When British silk came here, it was in its raw, natural form. So workers had to first wash and sometimes dye it before preparing it for printing.
Founded in 1843, David Evans is important for two reasons. First, they were one of the last houses to produce true ancient madder, made with dyes from the madder root that Egyptians once used for mummy wrappings. Second, they were the last do do hand block printing on a big scale
In this tradition, a worker carves a design into a wooden block by hand. The blocks are then used to print large silk sheets. Each color requires a unique wooden block and a "press" to imprint the design. This requires a lot of labor and precision, which of course drives up cost.
The toolmaking for this process alone required the skills of a carpenter with the steady hand and eye of a jeweler. David Evans was the largest British block printer on a commercial level and their block archive was incredible. But sadly, the process came to an end in the 1980s.
Let us turn to a happier note. Michael Drake's is a wonderfully stylish man with an incredible eye for color and design. He worked for Aquascutum for a while before starting his men's accessory company, Drake's of London in 1977. (It's now owned by Michael Hill and Mark Cho.)
As a company, Drake's has always worked with historic British mills and makers. In the early 1990s, Michael Drake and his assistant Stephen Linard approached David Evans — their longtime printer — about doing something inspired by Michael's trip to Kashmir some years earlier.
David Evans at the time had an amazing design team that illustrated and colored all of the pieces individually by hand. They came up with the design you see below, inspired by the Mughal paintings you see above. These were silk screened by hand onto scarves and pocket squares.
Around the same time, Drake's also made these squares with a design from David Evans archive. David Evans first made this design in the 1920s when their team was inspired by news of George Herbert and Howard Carter discovering Tutankhamun's tomb. Hence the Egyptian theme.
Sadly, David Evans closed in 2001, ending its 158-year history as an English silk printer. Its archive books were auctioned off to other companies, including Drake's. This included some 70,000 blocks and 11,000 designs, which today live on as sources for design inspiration.
The peculiarity of this design — the hunters on horseback and the shape of animals and flowers — makes me think the designer wasn't just referencing a Mughal painting. They were using a design that David Evans & Company made for Drake's in the 1990s.
We are currently living through a time when liberalism is backsliding. People are questioning things we took for granted, such as int'l trade and multiculturalism. Ethnic absolutism is on the rise, as ethnic identity is treated as fixed, pure, and the natural basis for belonging.
When Jenasie Earl, a professional thrifter and interior designer based in Salt Lake City, posted this couch she bought for $200 on Instagram, I thought: "how charming." This couch represents many of the things I believe in.
The sharing of knowledge, the welcoming of immigrants, and the mixing of culture (e.g., British printer making an Asian design). It reminds me how classic American style lives on in Japan through enthusiasts like Yuhei Yamamoto, as comedian Mic Nguyen joked below
Commercial hand block printing has mostly disappeared from Western Europe bc it's too laborious and thus expensive. But the craft continues in India. You can find Indian block printed clothes from Kartik Research, Kardo, 11.11, and 18 East — if you can put up with the tariffs.
Let me tell you a beautiful story about this couch. 🧵
IG msviciousdesignSome will recognize these motifs as Mughal paintings, which flourished on the Indian subcontinent sometime between the 16th and 18th century. But menswear nerds will recognize them as something else: Drake's of London.
Left: thrifted couch
Right: Drake's of London scarfDrake's of London is a menswear label that started in the 1970s, initially with men's accessories, but having since grown to a full line of apparel. They are known for many things, but this print is perhaps their most famous. It appears on scarves, pocket squares, and even ties.To understand the significance of these accessories, we have to go back — far back.
If lore is to be believed, then silk was invented about 4,000 years ago when a silkworm cocoon fell into an empress's teacup. The cocoon softened and unraveled, exposing its filaments.For two thousand years, China had a near monopoly on silk production. They guarded the knowledge of sericulture as a state secret with severe punishment for smuggling (including death). Silk became a major driver of trade and wealth along what later became known as the Silk Road.But knowledge eventually spread. A Chinese princess supposedly hid silkworm eggs and mulberry seeds in her headdress when she visited her husband in India. Centuries later, two monks carried silkworm eggs west in hollow bamboo canes, bringing sericulture to the Byzantine Empire.Silk weaving arrived in England in the late 17th century by way of French Protestants known as the Huguenots. Fleeing persecution, many settled in London’s Spitalfields under the later Stuart monarchs. Their welcome was later strengthened by King William III and Queen Mary II.At first, native Londoners protested. Many worked textile jobs and feared that the Huguenots, who were silk weavers, would undercut wages and take their jobs. There were violent anti-immigrant riots. But over time, the Huguenots actually *expanded* the British textile industry.They turned Spitalfields into a major silk hub and created jobs in nearby towns. In Kent and Dorset, people raised silkworms and mulberry plants. Along the River Test in Hampshire, the Whitchurch Silk Mill transformed cocoons into bundles of silk thread and eventually cloth.Princess Diana’s wedding dress came from this uniquely British supply chain: silk raised at Robert Goodden’s Compton House in Dorset, woven into ivory taffeta by Stephen Walters & Sons in Suffolk, and then made into the gown by David and Elizabeth Emanuel at their Mayfair studio.Some of this silk also landed at David Evans, a British printing house located in Crayford along the River Cray. When British silk came here, it was in its raw, natural form. So workers had to first wash and sometimes dye it before preparing it for printing.Founded in 1843, David Evans is important for two reasons. First, they were one of the last houses to produce true ancient madder, made with dyes from the madder root that Egyptians once used for mummy wrappings. Second, they were the last do do hand block printing on a big scaleIn this tradition, a worker carves a design into a wooden block by hand. The blocks are then used to print large silk sheets. Each color requires a unique wooden block and a "press" to imprint the design. This requires a lot of labor and precision, which of course drives up cost.The toolmaking for this process alone required the skills of a carpenter with the steady hand and eye of a jeweler. David Evans was the largest British block printer on a commercial level and their block archive was incredible. But sadly, the process came to an end in the 1980s.Let us turn to a happier note. Michael Drake's is a wonderfully stylish man with an incredible eye for color and design. He worked for Aquascutum for a while before starting his men's accessory company, Drake's of London in 1977. (It's now owned by Michael Hill and Mark Cho.)As a company, Drake's has always worked with historic British mills and makers. In the early 1990s, Michael Drake and his assistant Stephen Linard approached David Evans — their longtime printer — about doing something inspired by Michael's trip to Kashmir some years earlier.David Evans at the time had an amazing design team that illustrated and colored all of the pieces individually by hand. They came up with the design you see below, inspired by the Mughal paintings you see above. These were silk screened by hand onto scarves and pocket squares.Around the same time, Drake's also made these squares with a design from David Evans archive. David Evans first made this design in the 1920s when their team was inspired by news of George Herbert and Howard Carter discovering Tutankhamun's tomb. Hence the Egyptian theme.Sadly, David Evans closed in 2001, ending its 158-year history as an English silk printer. Its archive books were auctioned off to other companies, including Drake's. This included some 70,000 blocks and 11,000 designs, which today live on as sources for design inspiration.The peculiarity of this design — the hunters on horseback and the shape of animals and flowers — makes me think the designer wasn't just referencing a Mughal painting. They were using a design that David Evans & Company made for Drake's in the 1990s.We are currently living through a time when liberalism is backsliding. People are questioning things we took for granted, such as int'l trade and multiculturalism. Ethnic absolutism is on the rise, as ethnic identity is treated as fixed, pure, and the natural basis for belonging.When Jenasie Earl, a professional thrifter and interior designer based in Salt Lake City, posted this couch she bought for $200 on Instagram, I thought: "how charming." This couch represents many of the things I believe in.
IG msviciousdesignThe sharing of knowledge, the welcoming of immigrants, and the mixing of culture (e.g., British printer making an Asian design). It reminds me how classic American style lives on in Japan through enthusiasts like Yuhei Yamamoto, as comedian Mic Nguyen joked below
IG nicepantsbroCommercial hand block printing has mostly disappeared from Western Europe bc it's too laborious and thus expensive. But the craft continues in India. You can find Indian block printed clothes from Kartik Research, Kardo, 11.11, and 18 East — if you can put up with the tariffs.
yes
Let me tell you a beautiful story about this couch. 🧵
IG msviciousdesign ... Some will recognize these motifs as Mughal paintings, which flourished on the Indian subcontinent sometime between the 16th and 18th century. But menswear nerds will recognize them as something else: Drake's of London.
Left: thrifted couch
Right: Drake's of London scarf ... Drake's of London is a menswear label that started in the 1970s, initially with men's accessories, but having since grown to a full line of apparel. They are known for many things, but this print is perhaps their most famous. It appears on scarves, pocket squares, and even ties. ... To understand the significance of these accessories, we have to go back — far back.
If lore is to be believed, then silk was invented about 4,000 years ago when a silkworm cocoon fell into an empress's teacup. The cocoon softened and unraveled, exposing its filaments. ... For two thousand years, China had a near monopoly on silk production. They guarded the knowledge of sericulture as a state secret with severe punishment for smuggling (including death). Silk became a major driver of trade and wealth along what later became known as the Silk Road. ... But knowledge eventually spread. A Chinese princess supposedly hid silkworm eggs and mulberry seeds in her headdress when she visited her husband in India. Centuries later, two monks carried silkworm eggs west in hollow bamboo canes, bringing sericulture to the Byzantine Empire. ... Silk weaving arrived in England in the late 17th century by way of French Protestants known as the Huguenots. Fleeing persecution, many settled in London’s Spitalfields under the later Stuart monarchs. Their welcome was later strengthened by King William III and Queen Mary II. ... At first, native Londoners protested. Many worked textile jobs and feared that the Huguenots, who were silk weavers, would undercut wages and take their jobs. There were violent anti-immigrant riots. But over time, the Huguenots actually *expanded* the British textile industry. ... They turned Spitalfields into a major silk hub and created jobs in nearby towns. In Kent and Dorset, people raised silkworms and mulberry plants. Along the River Test in Hampshire, the Whitchurch Silk Mill transformed cocoons into bundles of silk thread and eventually cloth. ... Princess Diana’s wedding dress came from this uniquely British supply chain: silk raised at Robert Goodden’s Compton House in Dorset, woven into ivory taffeta by Stephen Walters & Sons in Suffolk, and then made into the gown by David and Elizabeth Emanuel at their Mayfair studio. ... Some of this silk also landed at David Evans, a British printing house located in Crayford along the River Cray. When British silk came here, it was in its raw, natural form. So workers had to first wash and sometimes dye it before preparing it for printing. ... Founded in 1843, David Evans is important for two reasons. First, they were one of the last houses to produce true ancient madder, made with dyes from the madder root that Egyptians once used for mummy wrappings. Second, they were the last do do hand block printing on a big scale ... In this tradition, a worker carves a design into a wooden block by hand. The blocks are then used to print large silk sheets. Each color requires a unique wooden block and a "press" to imprint the design. This requires a lot of labor and precision, which of course drives up cost. ... The toolmaking for this process alone required the skills of a carpenter with the steady hand and eye of a jeweler. David Evans was the largest British block printer on a commercial level and their block archive was incredible. But sadly, the process came to an end in the 1980s. ... Let us turn to a happier note. Michael Drake's is a wonderfully stylish man with an incredible eye for color and design. He worked for Aquascutum for a while before starting his men's accessory company, Drake's of London in 1977. (It's now owned by Michael Hill and Mark Cho.) ... As a company, Drake's has always worked with historic British mills and makers. In the early 1990s, Michael Drake and his assistant Stephen Linard approached David Evans — their longtime printer — about doing something inspired by Michael's trip to Kashmir some years earlier. ... David Evans at the time had an amazing design team that illustrated and colored all of the pieces individually by hand. They came up with the design you see below, inspired by the Mughal paintings you see above. These were silk screened by hand onto scarves and pocket squares. ... Around the same time, Drake's also made these squares with a design from David Evans archive. David Evans first made this design in the 1920s when their team was inspired by news of George Herbert and Howard Carter discovering Tutankhamun's tomb. Hence the Egyptian theme. ... Sadly, David Evans closed in 2001, ending its 158-year history as an English silk printer. Its archive books were auctioned off to other companies, including Drake's. This included some 70,000 blocks and 11,000 designs, which today live on as sources for design inspiration. ... The peculiarity of this design — the hunters on horseback and the shape of animals and flowers — makes me think the designer wasn't just referencing a Mughal painting. They were using a design that David Evans & Company made for Drake's in the 1990s. ... We are currently living through a time when liberalism is backsliding. People are questioning things we took for granted, such as int'l trade and multiculturalism. Ethnic absolutism is on the rise, as ethnic identity is treated as fixed, pure, and the natural basis for belonging. ... When Jenasie Earl, a professional thrifter and interior designer based in Salt Lake City, posted this couch she bought for $200 on Instagram, I thought: "how charming." This couch represents many of the things I believe in.
IG msviciousdesign ... The sharing of knowledge, the welcoming of immigrants, and the mixing of culture (e.g., British printer making an Asian design). It reminds me how classic American style lives on in Japan through enthusiasts like Yuhei Yamamoto, as comedian Mic Nguyen joked below
IG nicepantsbro ... Commercial hand block printing has mostly disappeared from Western Europe bc it's too laborious and thus expensive. But the craft continues in India. You can find Indian block printed clothes from Kartik Research, Kardo, 11.11, and 18 East — if you can put up with the tariffs.
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