Paint! Pattern! Print! review
August 17, 2026Paint Pattern Print review Pattern has a remarkable ability to change the way we see the everyday. A colourful print on a dress, a beautifully arranged motif on fabric, or a bold combination of shapes can turn something familiar into something memorable. The show explores the creative world behind these designs, inviting visitors to look beyond the finished textile and discover the ideas, experiments, and artistic decisions that bring patterns to life. Centred around the work of sisters Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell, the exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into a process that often happens behind the scenes. It is a celebration of colour, imagination, and the skill involved in transforming a simple painted idea into something that can be worn, lived with, and enjoyed every day.
The exhibition centres on the work of Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell, whose partnership transformed the possibilities of printed textiles over more than five decades. Their approach was distinctive because they treated pattern as a creative language rather than a decorative afterthought. Moreover, they worked across the entire design process, from initial paintings through to printed cloth, allowing them greater control over colour, quality, and production. This sense of ownership is one of the most interesting parts of their story because it shows designers taking an active role beyond simply producing artwork for others. The sisters collaborated with major names including Liberty, Heals, and Jaeger, bringing their exuberant designs into homes and interiors around the world. Consequently, their influence extended far beyond the textile industry itself.
Processes
Paint Pattern Print review AI Impression of some of the work in the show.
Walking through Paint! Pattern! Print! feels like entering the mind of a designer before an idea becomes a finished product. The exhibition’s strength lies in showing the creative stages that are often hidden from view, including drawings, colour experiments, and examples of how painted motifs develop into practical textiles. Additionally, this focus on process makes the work feel surprisingly contemporary because today’s designers are often interested in transparency and craftsmanship. The visitor sees that a successful pattern is not simply a repeated image placed onto fabric. Instead, it involves decisions about scale, movement, balance, and emotion. Furthermore, the exhibition highlights the relationship between instinct and discipline, demonstrating that playful designs often require considerable thought. The most appealing pieces are those where spontaneity and structure appear to exist together.
Colour is the obvious starting point for an exhibition with a title like Paint! Pattern! Print!, and the displays embrace that idea with confidence. Bright combinations and energetic motifs reveal how Collier and Campbell understood the emotional impact of colour. Meanwhile, the exhibition avoids presenting pattern as something limited to a particular decade or style movement. The designs feel connected to their historical context, yet many still appear surprisingly fresh. This is partly because strong pattern has always had the ability to move between periods. A floral arrangement, geometric form, or abstract mark can take on new meaning depending on how it is used. Furthermore, the exhibition encourages visitors to consider how much of our surroundings are shaped by textile design, from clothing to interiors. Pattern is everywhere, although we do not always stop to appreciate its influence.
Paint Pattern Print review
Textile exhibitions can sometimes feel distant if they focus only on finished pieces, but this display creates a more personal connection by revealing the people behind the designs. Sarah Campbell’s continuing creative practice adds another dimension because visitors can see a legacy that remains active rather than frozen in the past. Additionally, the exhibition presents the partnership between two sisters whose shared approach was built on collaboration and curiosity. Their story is particularly interesting because it reflects changing attitudes towards textile designers, who were increasingly recognised as creative professionals rather than simply suppliers of decorative material. The archive material gives context to their achievements, while the finished fabrics demonstrate the lasting appeal of their ideas. As a result, the exhibition becomes both a historical record and a celebration of ongoing creativity.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of Paint! Pattern! Print! is the reminder that textiles sit between art and everyday life. A painting in a gallery might be admired from a distance, whereas a textile pattern becomes part of the objects people live with and use. However, this familiarity does not make the designs less significant. Instead, it shows the power of design to shape daily experiences. The exhibition explores how printed fabrics can transform interiors, clothing, and personal surroundings through carefully considered visual choices. Additionally, it highlights the skill involved in translating a painted idea into something suitable for manufacturing. That process requires technical understanding as well as artistic confidence. Therefore, the exhibition offers a broader appreciation of textile design as a discipline that combines creativity, practicality, and cultural influence.
Design History
Paint Pattern Print review The Fashion and Textile Museum is particularly suited to an exhibition about pattern because the space itself has a strong relationship with design history. Visitors arrive expecting fashion and textiles, yet Paint! Pattern! Print! expands that idea by focusing on the stages before a garment or interior piece exists. Moreover, the exhibition encourages a slower kind of looking, where details become increasingly noticeable with attention.
Paint! Pattern! Print! succeeds because it makes textile design feel exciting, relevant, and full of possibilities. The exhibition celebrates Susan Collier and Sarah Campbell not only as creators of beautiful patterns, but as designers who understood the importance of process, independence, and imagination. Furthermore, it encourages visitors to look differently at the fabrics surrounding them every day. A printed curtain, a patterned dress, or a colourful cushion can contain a surprising amount of thought and creativity. Ultimately, the exhibition is about more than decoration. It is about the relationship between ideas and objects, between artistic experiments and everyday experiences. The Fashion and Textile Museum has created a display that brings these connections to life with clarity and energy. For anyone who enjoys fashion, interiors, or simply the pleasure of beautiful design, Paint! Pattern! Print! is a colourful reminder that textiles deserve to be looked at closely.
