Dress Fabric
1957 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Zika Ascher, an innovative textile converter, based himself in London after the annexation of his home country Czechoslovakia in 1939. After the Second World War, Ascher Ltd designed different ranges of textiles for use at the top end of the fashion market, both in couture and high-class ready-to-wear garments. Ascher kept used samples such as this one to show prospective clients his wares, and as a record of his output.
He turned his attention to developing mixes incorporating mohair in 1956, seeking out manufacturers with a pedigree for excellence. In the case of woollens, he approached Scottish mills with his new ideas. In collaboration they created a range of dress and coat-weight mohairs. Like wool, mohair was warm and took colour well, but it had the advantage of being much lighter weight (a quality appreciated especially in the USA). Some were blended with nylon. In 1957, haute couture promoted bulky look outerwear — mohair was the perfect vehicle for this effect.
He turned his attention to developing mixes incorporating mohair in 1956, seeking out manufacturers with a pedigree for excellence. In the case of woollens, he approached Scottish mills with his new ideas. In collaboration they created a range of dress and coat-weight mohairs. Like wool, mohair was warm and took colour well, but it had the advantage of being much lighter weight (a quality appreciated especially in the USA). Some were blended with nylon. In 1957, haute couture promoted bulky look outerwear — mohair was the perfect vehicle for this effect.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Woven mohair, wool and nylon |
| Brief description | Dress fabric swatch of mohair, wool and nylon, made by Zika Ascher, Great Britain, 1957 |
| Physical description | Dress fabric swatch of black and white checked woven fabric of a mohair, wool, and nylon mix. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Given by Zika Ascher |
| Production | Ascher donated fabrics to the V&A in person, hence precision of attribution |
| Summary | Zika Ascher, an innovative textile converter, based himself in London after the annexation of his home country Czechoslovakia in 1939. After the Second World War, Ascher Ltd designed different ranges of textiles for use at the top end of the fashion market, both in couture and high-class ready-to-wear garments. Ascher kept used samples such as this one to show prospective clients his wares, and as a record of his output. He turned his attention to developing mixes incorporating mohair in 1956, seeking out manufacturers with a pedigree for excellence. In the case of woollens, he approached Scottish mills with his new ideas. In collaboration they created a range of dress and coat-weight mohairs. Like wool, mohair was warm and took colour well, but it had the advantage of being much lighter weight (a quality appreciated especially in the USA). Some were blended with nylon. In 1957, haute couture promoted bulky look outerwear — mohair was the perfect vehicle for this effect. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.197-1988 |
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| Record created | April 19, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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