Paisley (design)

Paisley or Paisley pattern, known in the U.S. under the name persian pickles, is the name of an abstract, decorative fabric pattern that represents in its basic form, a sheet with a pointed, curved end, in the manner of a large comma.

Origin

The name derives from the Scottish town of Paisley in the Strathclyde region near Glasgow. Paisley was an important textile processing center in the 19th century. The origin of the pattern is due to a floral motif ( boteh pattern) from the Persian Sassanid Empire, which passed over the Moguls to India. Soldiers brought upon returning from the colony India cashmere shawls with paisley motif to the UK.

Queen Victoria took a liking to embroidered paisley scarves from India and thus created a fashion trend. Since the least able to afford the original made ​​of precious materials, produced enterprising Scottish Weber paisley shawls much cheaper on jacquard looms from local wool. Traditionally the pattern is carried out in various shades of red. Meanwhile, paisleys come in all sorts of colors. They are still popular and are used for ties, scarves, cushions, pillows, upholstery and other home textiles. Today the sample is not stitched, but primarily woven or printed.

Saw a renaissance subject in the frame of the hippie movement. More recently, paisley patterns are found in the collections of Burberry, D & G, Gucci and Etro.

American youth gangs such as the Bloods and Crips in Los Angeles, often wear a bandanna with paisley pattern in different colors as a distinctive mark.

Several hundred patterns on blankets and towels as well as traditional looms are exhibited in Paisley Museum & Art Gallery in the High Street in Paisley.