Wily as a fox

Clever Anthropologie has signed up designer Charlotte Taylor for a capsule collection of cute cushions. By Stephanie Hirschmiller

Anthropologie, the known for its quirky approach to women’s clothing, accessories and homewares, has tapped the Lancashire-born fashion designer and St Martin’s graduate, Charlotte Taylor to create a gorgeous mini-collection of cushions. Following a period working for Luella Bartley, Taylor launched her own fashion label in 2009 and quickly gained a cult following for her tongue-in-cheek prints that have ranged from penguins to lobsters and robots.

Taylor’s blog caught the attention of one of Anthropologie’s American buyers a couple of years ago and the relationship has already borne fruit in the form of two capsule fashion collections. This new line of four silk-print cushions marks the designer’s first foray into interiors – joining the ranks of Orla Kiely and Basso & Brooke, big hitters such as Missoni and Marni and high-street brands Zara and H&M.

Her prints of goats and foxes have dual inspirations: a trip Charlotte took with her mother last year to India’s Rajasthan and also the Port Eliot Festival – rather closer to home in Cornwall – where she treated festival-goers to a free fabric-marbling workshop in conjunction with the brand. “I saw lots of goats in India and the foxes are from Port Eliot,” she laughs, “it’s an Anglo-Indian menagerie!”

The same trip to Rajasthan also proved the wider inspiration for the designer’s spring/summer collection, a gloriously coloured romp featuring the elaborate feathers of India’s national symbol, the peacock, the sacred humpback cow and even the country’s most famous landmark, the Taj Mahal.

Taylor describes Rajasthan as “utterly breathtaking,” and “a place where you cannot fail to find inspiration”.

For her autumn/winter clothing line, there’s a surrealist circus vibe at play so look out for the elephants. Meanwhile, the cushions (£98) are available exclusively at Anthropologie from this month – perfect for an Indian summer.

anthropologie.eu