Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arts and Crafts Movement was formed as a reaction against the effects of machine production ? on the social conditions of factory workers and on the inferior quality of machine manufactured goods. Such was the impact of the industrial revolution on traditional skills that many artists and designers were concerned that the decorative arts were in danger of being lost forever.

The movement ? which took its name from the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, a group founded in London in 1887, set about reviving traditional artisanship.

William Morris

William Morris is a name deeply linked with the Arts & Crafts movement. Born in Essex, he studied classics at Oxford, where he met Edward Burne-Jones, a fellow artist who shared his passion for the medieval period. Through Burne-Jones, Morris was introduced to Dante-Gabriel Rossetti, and they formed the company that became Morris & Co ? the business synonymous with so many Arts and Crafts designs.

Morris looked to the past ? particularly the medieval period, for inspiration and for simpler methods of production, arguing for the return to a system of manufacturing based around small-scale workshops.

Strawberry Thief in Red Backdrop

Strawberry thief one of William Morriss most popular repeating designs for textiles. It takes as its subject the thrush birds that Morris found stealing fruit in the kitchen garden of his countryside home Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire. The design was a triumph for Morris as it marked the perfecting of the indigo-discharge technique of printing at Merton Abbey. Inspired by this exciting design, Signare developed strawberry thief design in tapestry with a blue or a red backdrop.

The brand

Signare (pronounced sin-nar-ree) is a vibrant British lifestyle brand. We design, create and distribute stylish fashion bags and accessories from our warehouse and office in a quiet village in Surrey, England. We’ve taken the ancient art of tapestry and given it a modern twist. Every Signare product has its own personality and story to tell. Each bag being reproduced in exquisite woven detail. The ever-expanding range includes:

• Great masterpieces, such as Mona Lisa, Starry Night and Tree of Life.
• Works by famous design artists, including William Morris, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Charles Voysey.
• Patterns celebrating the lives and achievements of great figures from world history, including Jane Austen, Frida Kahlo, William Shakespeare.
• Designs that reflect the colour and variety of life itself. From garden wildlife to cute cats and adorable dogs, from historical landmarks to geometric patterns.

The company

Founded in the UK in 2007, Signare is the largest tapestry accessories brand in the world, distributing to over 35 countries and over 3000 concessions.

Signare has teamed up with the V&A, the National Gallery, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and the Frida Kahlo Corporation etc. to support the artists through the creation of timeless pieces.

Signare breathes life into the art of tapestry by infusing it with a modern twist and showcasing art and attitude originally and beautifully. Up to now, Signare has created over 60 individual tapestry pattern and 30 distinct types of bags and home furnishing. With numerous designs being created each year, the Signare brand is growing stronger as more and more people fall in love with our mixture of unique and stylish products.

The Art of Tapestry

Tapestry is an ancient art dating back over 2000 years. In the UK and Europe, tapestry art was most prominent during the middle-ages. Barons and knights would adorn their castle walls with them for both decoration and warmth. A tapestry is started by stretching plain warp threads on a loom to create a grid. The coloured weft threads are then weaved in and out of the warp threads, building up a complete tapestry. Our production method uses modern mechanical looms which greatly speeds up what used to take weeks or months by hand.

A special characteristic of each Signare bag is that each one is unique. Signare means ‘Signature’ in Latin and we wish every customer to possess their own individual signature bag.