When you are starting a new dressmaking project for a special occasion, you will want to choose high-quality fabrics which will enhance your finished garment. Here at Fabrics Galore, we stock a diverse range of luxurious designer fabrics online and you may want advice on which type of fabric will work best.
Two of the most iconic brands of fabric are Liberty Fabrics and Alexander Henry, both of which are luxury designer fabric brands which can help you to achieve the style, fit, design, silhouette and structure you are looking for in your new project. But, what is it that makes these brands so special?
Who was Liberty?
Liberty Fabrics is a highly regarded brand, founded in 1875 by Arthur Liberty, and well known for their range of quintessentially British fabric designs. The first fabrics produced by this brand were oriental imports, but the demand grew considerably. The fabrics were then handprinted in England producing gorgeous miniature floral, paisley and abstract designs which have been adored for decades. In today’s modern age, they offer a range of different products, - especially their Tana Lawn™ Cotton - as just one example.
Liberty Fabrics
Most of the cotton Liberty Fabrics are made with a plain weave, but one of the many factors that makes them so special is the use of the ultra-fine yarn with an ultra-tight weave - creating a very unique level of fineness to the base cloth. Most of the common cotton fabrics on the market today are made of short and thick staples, but Liberty Fabrics have thin and long staples which create thinner and more solid yarns - making the fabric very fine, but still strong and durable. As the yarns are not tied, the fabric becomes less easy to crease or wrinkle - whilst still saying silky soft, a rare trait in fabrics.
Compared to other fabrics on the market, the quality of the printing is also exceptional. A wide array of colour combinations are used, making unusual and beautiful designs not seen in cheaper fabrics. These very small and intricate designs have to be printed with immense precision, which is why the majority of the work is carried out in Italy - ensuring the highest quality finishes Liberty is known for.
About Alexander Henry
This textile design house is known for its incredibly original fabric designs, which are based around an array of different themes including art history, runway fashion and culture. With over 30 years of experience as a superior fabric converter and design house, this brand has worked with a diverse group of manufacturers across the accessories, garment and home furnishings industries. With these fabrics, you can enjoy multi-coloured designs and patterns which have been created following a unique process.
Why should you purchase Alexander Henry fabrics?
The Alexander Henry cotton fabrics on our website are each designed by in-house artists who paint each pattern by hand, which is what makes them so unique with a large number of colours. The printing process is carried out in Japan, the home to some of the best printers globally. The depth of colour on these designs is truly exceptional, where you can often see up to 16 colours on the “selvedge” of an Alexander Henry fabric, which you simply can’t achieve through standard screen printing or digital printing - as most fabrics only contain 3-6 colours at most.
Their collections are produced using old fashioned techniques using paint pots and paintbrushes which are transferred into a digital format. When you take a look at an Alexander Henry fabric, the hand of the artist is evident, which is why dressmakers, who are fans of his distinctive look consider that both the quality of the finished fabric and the unique hand-painted design justify the higher price of the prints. At Fabrics Galore our range of Frida Kahlo fabrics designed by Alexander Henry are perennial favourites with our customers.
Would you like to purchase designer fabrics online?
Here at Fabrics Galore, we stock a wide range of different materials alongside designer fabrics from Liberty and Alexander Henry. We have stocked these designer textiles since our store first opened over 30 years ago and we have an excellent relationship with the suppliers. If you are interested in learning more about our designs, please call us on 020 7738 9589, and we would be happy to assist.
