WHAT?  I AM. WE ARE. LIBERTY 

WHERE? Liberty London, East Gallery, Regent Street, London W1B 5AH

WHEN? Now until 24th July, Free to visit 

WHY GO? For an artisan treat. A visit to Liberty London is akin to being a kid in a candy store, especially right now as Liberty are celebrating 150 years of design creativity with a glorious archive exhibition of prints and fabrics from day one… and what an archive it is! 

Just to walk up that Tudor staircase creates a buzz for craft lovers world-wide who cherish artisan objects and collaborative workmanship.  

From early Jacobean and Paisley inspired prints, through the Art Nouveau era to those distinctive Bernard Nevill designs that were championed by all including David Bowie who wore one on his 1972 album cover, to right now with Liberty still collaborating with contemporary artists like Grayson Perry who has just designed a quirky in-house collection.

This treasure trove of Liberty designs, along with family memorabilia from the days when Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened his first shop on Regent Street, can all be seen and more in store. The highlight is The Patchwork Collective’,  an ambitious community project.  

This monumental patchwork house is made up of around 1,000 squares submitted by Liberty lovers worldwide. It hangs pride of place in the central gallery, and as there were too many patches to include, there are additional books featuring the overflow, so all the participants can be remembered for shaping the Liberty cultural legacy.

IN THE KNOW Liberty archivist Anna Burama claims it’s impossible to state exactly how many designs are recorded, well over 60,000 to date, which made the exhibition a daunting task for art historian Ester Coen to curate. She brings her special magic to the whole display and presents a celebratory journey from quirky and eccentric prints to full blown and showy. This is pure nostalgia for Liberty fans!