I make no bones about this post: it’s a plug for my dear friend Georgina von Etzdorf. She is a wonderful textile designer – her use of silk jacquard, velvet and chiffon with vibrant swirls, diamonds and stars, plus splashes of emotional intensity, singles her out as special. She works the fabric into scarves, ties, gloves, dressing gowns, blouses, waistcoats, etc. Over the years, through her company GvE&Co, she has sprinkled her magic on everyone from rock stars to royalty, all falling in love with her creations. She has a natural intuition when it comes to colour combinations and employs them where others would fear to tread, with her stunning results attracting followers from around the world. In 1997 she was made an RSA Royal Designer for Industry.
The Malaga retreat
The combination of an economic downturn and misfortune forced GvE&Co to temporarily close. In recent years, Georgina has spent a lot of time at her farmhouse high in the hills above Malaga, Spain, reassessing her life and work. Inspired by the landscape and changing seasons, she has been consumed by painting. Out of this extended sojourn have come many new ideas.
In 2013, Georgia collaborated with fashion designer Margaret Howell to create a shirt. It was an interesting proposition to harness the relative calm of Howell and the exuberance of von Etzdorf. The result was not a shirt but an almost wartime, utilitarian, genderless, hardwearing work jacket (above) with subtle flashes of colour in the edge piping. Margaret Howell recalls:
“When Georgina came through the door of our studio clutching a packet of West Country biscuits and an old pyjama jacket, her face beaming, brimming with enthusiasm, I realised little had changed since I first met her at her degree show in 1977. I was impressed then by her colours and painterly approach.”
In 2017, von Etzdorf reconnected with her old creative partner Jonathan Docherty to re-energise GvE&Co with a new range of textile designs, which were applied to a limited range of exquisite products – from cushions and rugs to pillows and robes. And if you want to understand the sensual delights of wearing the most perfect silk, you can’t beat this review from GvE&Co fan Coco Campbell...
Coco, experiencing the silkiest of silky moments, twice over.
“My dressing gown is, without doubt, the singular most glorious piece of clothing I own. As well as floating around in it at any given opportunity at home, I also wear it out – leather belted as a dress. Any excuse to have that silk against my skin and to show off the stunning print and impossibly beautiful colours. I have never felt sexier than when wearing it. I have never had more flattering comments than when wearing it. It’s like discovering a delicious secret that makes me gasp and gives me nothing but joy.”
Cotton velvet cushions and woven wool rugs
What makes GvE&Co’s products so special is the stunning printing techniques, developed through continual experimentation over many years and always used on the most beautiful fabrics. Her new range is now available to see and purchase from the new GvE&Co website at the foot of this post.
Limited edition 'Poppy' giclee print -1977/1981
Here’s Georgina in a recent interview with Annabel Ross, broadcaster and creator of the blog ‘Messages from the Wild’ HERE.
And if you enjoyed that one, here’s a far longer recording made for my RDInsight series when I visited Georgina in Spain a few years ago. It’s a jolly good story about success and failure with a lot of laughs along the way, as there is always a sense of fun leaching below the surface with Georgina. To hear the interview, click HERE.
And for more information about GvE&Co here is the new website: click HERE.
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