New wallpaper collection from print design practice Eley Kishimoto


Tagged 'patron saints of print' Eley Kishimoto look set to bring the same kind of radicalism to interiors that it has been doing in fashion for more than 20 years with the launch of its first wallpaper collection. This represents the latest chapter in a story which has seen the studio gain worldwide acclaim within a number of fields from fashion and interiors to architecture and design collaborations.


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Screen printed in its Brixton studio, the wallpapers comprise 12 designs, which range from La La Lyon (a modern take on the damask design) to the geometric inspired prints of Venice, Camo Chevron and Light on Lattice. Vanity Cats, Monster Skin and Pedigree meanwhile inject a sense of playfulness into wall-covering design.

Having quickly gained a reputation for intelligent print design combined with craftsmanship for fashion designers, including Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs in the early Nineties, Eley Kishimoto made the move into its own womenswear collection just a few years later. Now building on that 22 years of printmaking, this wallpaper collection is, the company says, the latest incarnation of a continually evolving design aesthetic: a reworking of seminal prints from the archives.

From the Book 1 wallpaper collection from Eley Kishimoto La La Lyon
From the Book 1 wallpaper collection from Eley Kishimoto La La Lyon

Mark Eley, one half of the studio, explains why now was the time to launch the wallpaper collection: 'It is something that we feel allows people to live with and play with styling pattern in their environment, whether that's their home or office, place of work, a shop, a cafe or bank, in their own creative way.' Describing this as a visceral exploration of surface decoration, Eley adds: 'This wallpaper collection is not actually our first foray into the world of interiors. We have previously produced bespoke and commercial furniture, furnishings and homewares alongside our seasonal fashion and design collections, which further reinforce our motto "Print the World".'

From the Book 1 wallpaper collection from Eley Kishimoto Vanity
From the Book 1 wallpaper collection from Eley Kishimoto Vanity

The company's USP has always been the freedom to decorate anything and everything. Past collaborations are as eclectic as BMW motorbikes, Eastpak bags, Duvel beer, accessories for MacBooks, iPhones and iPads, incorporating its signature Flash print. This wallpaper collection, which its creators say celebrates a desire to produce handcrafted artefacts in a world of fast, digital production, is just the latest chapter in ever-more varied design products. Each of these platforms, it says, represents an opportunity to communicate with a wider, more varied audience.

From the Book 1 wallpaper collection from Eley Kishimoto Venice
From the Book 1 wallpaper collection from Eley Kishimoto Venice

Both Eley and Wakako Kishimoto, the other creative director of the company, are also working with Laura Ashley. 'We have been design directors for Laura Ashley London, a younger line coordinated by the LA Japanese Licence partner for four years. It has one stand-alone store in Tokyo and distributed through a selection of LA stores throughout Japan.'

There have been positive reactions to the collection from buyers and press alike when it first appeared in autumn 2014 but, says Eley, 'We have been happily working for ourselves and designing for 22 years, we hope that this continues long in to the future, so I guess our work has been received well to date.' Work is progressing to produce Book 2 this year.








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