Cryséde

I’ve been investigating the work of the Cryséde textile design studio since seeing it in the Penlee Museum last year.

Alec Walker and his wife Kay Earle established Cryséde in Newlyn in the 1920’s, moving then to St Ives and finally, in the 1940s and 50s to Hayle. Self-taught artist Walker designed the patterns which were printed onto silk using a wood block process.

In 1924 Walker visited Paris and met French textile artist Raol Duffy – this inspired him to translate his images of the Cornish countryside into a brightly coloured modern textile language.

This meeting prompted designs such as Zenna Woods, Cornish Farm and Ding Dong Mine. His work proved popular and led to the start of a chain of shops selling bolts and ready to wear garments and a mail order business.

Cryséde Cornish Mine

These were often based on real places, landmarks and people – you can even locate the designs on a map.

Ding Dong Mine, Penwith pattern

The company was a major Cornwall employer particularly for local women. There was early success which it struggled to maintain and it went into a slow decline, with one partner departing and setting up Cresta Silks in 1929 and the other partner having a nervous breakdown. In addition the 1930’s brought international financial crisis and the war loomed – Cryséde became Cryséde Ltd and hung on with a handful of shops.

Textile sample
from V&A, manufactured by Cryséde Silks, 1930

In 1946 Cresta Silks bought Cryséde Ltd which in turn was then bought by Debenhams in 1952 with the hand block printing process being replaced by a cheaper screen printing method.

Dress fabric from V&A collection, Cryséde Silks, 1930

I reflect on my own design approach when I discover work from the past which resonates. Below is a fauvist-style painting I did which I then put into repeat as a surface pattern design for sale at Patternbank.

Cryséde repeat designs are lyrical and loose….maybe even simple with obvious repeats which could be achieved by hand blocking – now we have the tools to create complex, invisible repeat drops and transitions, I am left wondering (after days of computer work making this repeat) whether there’s something to be gained by a fresh study of the older ways.

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