Fabric and wallpaper designers Rapture & Wright held an open studio and I couldn't help myself, I spent an idyllic and inspirational day in Moreton-in-Marsh and thought it would be a perfect start to my new Eco Spotlight series.
This series is going to highlight sustainable designers, makers and artisans and deep dive into their practices to inspire and educate anyone who wants to follow along. The open studio at Rapture & Wright seemed like a perfect starting point so let's dive in shall we...
Image source: Studio Lawson
Rapture & Wright are one of the last remaining hand print studios in the UK, designing and creating fabrics and wallpapers that are both beautiful and sustainable. They have adapted traditional printing techniques and created a ground breaking print works producing quality British product.
Image Source: Studio Lawson
This small scale studio allows owners Peter and Rebecca to oversee and control every part of the process, allowing them to tweak and change things in real time to effect the design outcome. The results of which create a personal and unique feel to each and every roll. Everything is hand printed and hand mixed by eye, it's a timely process but well worth it to create such a stand out product.
Image Source: Studio Lawson
A key element to the product is obviously the fabric itself. Rapture & Wright use linen as their base fabric. Linen is arguably one of the most sustainable fabrics as it requires less pesticides, less fertiliser and less water to grow and the process to turn Flax (the raw material) into Linen is natural rather than chemical. It's no wonder Linen is the fabric of choice.
Image Source: Studio Lawson
Rapture & Wright work on a 'print to order' basis to stop over production, wastage and the product becoming dead stock. They work with British suppliers to support the UK industry and limit the miles travelled of their raw fabric and ink materials. They use water based ink to not only creates a softer feel of the finished product but also allows for sustainable disposal of their waste water.
Image Source: Studio Lawson
The studio uses a phenomenal and surprisingly beautiful way to get rid of their waste water. The water from cleaning the screens is first filtered through a piece of fabric and a hay bail, very simple but very effective. It is then pumped to a second filter before it is pumped into a bespoke pond. This pond is unlike any other, it is perfectly designed with the raw materials of the inks in mind. It is made up of 20 species of plants native to the local area and used the waste water as food. The ponds also create eco systems for insects, birds and other wildlife. They are simply beautiful and blend into the surrounding environment. A wonderful and inventive solution that I wish was implemented in more/all industries.
Image Source: Studio Lawson
Peter and Rebecca have created a truly remarkable, product line, studio, company ethos and legacy and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them and Rapture & Wright. If you want to find out more information visit their website and go follow them on Instagram. And keep an eye out for the next Eco Spotlight.
Until next time...
Comments