Zika Ascher - Textile Designer

In the long tradition of artists turning fabric designers, such as Dufy and Cocteau, the unmistakeable sketches of Henry Monroe  are applied to silk by Zika Ascher. This design, which combines screen printing with batik painting, was selected for use by Nina Ricci. When Vogue ask in 1962, 'which comes first, the chicken or the egg? The fabric or the fashion?', it could have had Ascher in mind. His innovative approach to fabrics revolutionized fashion from the 1940s. He started his own production company and silk-screen print works in London in 1942. In 1948 he approached artists such as Moore and Henri Matisse to design prints. His own inventive approach to textiles acted as a catalyst for fashion designers of that time: in 1952 his highly original large-scale floral prints were used by Dior and Schia[arelli, and in 1957 his shaggy mohair inspired Castillo to create huge enveloping coats.

1950s textile design by HENRY MOORE - probably produced by Zika Ascher.