Henry Moore produced three sketchbooks of textile designs in 1943. Thirty of Moore's designs were converted into printed rayon lengths by Zika Ascher. The wide appeal of Moore's designs can be illustrated by the appearance of the 'Barbed Wire' design, used to great effect in the gritty British film noir 'They Made Me a Fugitive' (1947). Made at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, the plot centres on the realities of civilian life faced by an ex RAF flyer, Clem Morgan, played by Trevor Howard, and Morgan's descent into the dark underbelly of London's criminal world. In one scene, leading lady Sally Grey appears dressed in a casual robe made of this fabric, designed by wardrobe mistress Dorothy Sinclair; a striking if perhaps none too subtle visual reference to Grey's physical and emotional situation.

For the public, aspirations of glamour were firmly linked with the stars of cinema, and fashions, make up and hairstyles portrayed on screen were avidly copied. Home dressmaking was an economic way of acquiring fashionable clothing and this home-made jacket constructed from 'Barbed Wire' fabric in the V&A's collection illustrates how the maker may have emulated a glamorous screen idol.