CRYSÉDE SILKS

Cryséde was a small firm producing unique block printed silks in Cornwall during the 1920s and 30s, founded by Alec and Kay Walker. Alec came from a family of Yorkshire textile manufacturers, inheriting his father’s silk mill aged just 23. But it was his interest in avant-garde art and design that led him to Cornwall and to start Cryséde - a truly modern, craft-led business. He wished to “carry modern feeling, as expressed in modern design, into the fabrics themselves”.

The Cryséde workshop had humble beginnings in a small cottage in Newlyn, a progressive hub of art and craft. Upstairs, the silks were sewn into garments by a group of local women trained by the Walkers. Downstairs, they ran a small shop selling silk by the yard and readymade garments, designed by Kay.

Isles of Scilly hand block printed silk crepe, 1925-33.
Image courtesy of Meg Andrews (www.meg-andrews.com)

Initially the silks were printed with cheerful spots and stripes. But on a trip to Paris in 1923 Alec met with artist Raoul Dufy, who suggested using his loose watercolour paintings of Cornish landscapes as the basis for his silk designs. Energised by this idea, Alec produced a new range of truly novel prints which define Cryséde today - loose, painterly and boldly coloured. Each design was named after a different area of Cornwall and the influence of Post-Impressionist and Fauvist painting is clear. Cryséde garments became immediately sought after by discerning middle-class women. Before they knew it, they had 3,000 mail order clients and were opening retail shops across the country. A growing number of employees (mostly women) were trained in every step of production, from processing the raw silk to dyeing, to hand printing with large wooden blocks.

Left: Dress made from Hound and Tree design, c. 1928. Right: Cryséde fabric samples, 1930s. Images courtesy of John Bright Collection

In 1925, Walker invited his friend Tom Heron (father of painter Patrick Heron) to manage the firm, who encouraged its expansion to larger premises in St Ives. But despite Cryséde’s popularity, its success was fairly short-lived. Walker suffered something of a breakdown in 1929, after a row with Tom and the break up of his marriage to Kay. With Heron dismissed and Walker taking a break from work, the company began to come apart at the seams (no pun intended!). And like with so many 1930s design studios, the outbreak of war cemented its demise.

But these painterly prints have such a timeless quality, even a century on. Tom Heron went on to forge his own successful textile firm out of Welwyn Garden City called Cresta Silks.

Sacred Pool hand block printed silk crepe, 1925-33
Image courtesy of Meg Andrews (www.meg-andrews.com)