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TRUST ME…YOU’LL LOVE THIS: English Weather
When someone mentions “English weather,” does the paintbrush of your imagination promptly reach for paint pots of gray? On a day much akin to what we think of as typical English weather, I am sure you are wondering what’s to love about a cold, gray, rainy day. My post today just may change that!
Gohar Goddard grew up as one of four daughters of Persian parents living in Lahore, Karachi, Paris and London, and during her exotic childhood while soaking up the diverse visual language of those cultures, she learned to knit from nuns at her boarding school in the Himalayas. She settled in England in 1967 and trained as a ceramicist in 1985, and in that same year, opened a luxury yarn store in Kensington. Ten years later, Gohar’s love of beautiful yarns, textiles and color led her to establish the English Weather clothing label, known for its unusual cashmere designs – and now producing a luxurious line of scarves featuring digital prints of Gohar’s paintings. I love that the name of her company conjures up a subdued palette that is juxtaposed by the brilliant use of color found in her art and textiles.
Gohar is first and foremost a colorist, and in the 1990s following an art study and industry tour in Cornwall, she resolved to teach herself to paint and explore the same aesthetic themes that occupied her in her knitwear and in her ceramics: the physicality of the medium, the tactile quality of ordinary materials, aesthetics of stillness and calm, and the beauty of careful color combinations. We met Gohar in NY a few years ago where she was exhibiting an extraordinary collection of scarves worthy of being framed and hung on the wall as opposed to draped over one’s shoulders, only to discover the designs were taken from Gohar’s own canvas work. She shared that her scarf collection came to be when one of her clients mentioned she wished she could wear her artwork! Gohar’s combination of colors and textures immediately catch the eye. Her work is stunning – each piece more interesting than the next – and it is impossible not to feel an immediate connection with her art. Each scarf is a signed print of an acrylic on canvas painting, many of which have been featured in solo exhibitions in the UK and exhibited in galleries in Lymington and London. These luxurious scarves, designed in the UK and printed in Como, Italy, have a highly distinctive, contemporary look and feel; the hand is buttery soft and feels amazing against the skin. Gohar’s designs range from architectural to whimsical, and I love them all! Be prepared to be tapped on the shoulder and asked about what you are wearing when sporting anything from Gohar’s collection.
Our Spring20 collection has just arrived, and trust me……a little English Weather may be all you need to brighten this cold winter’s day!