Threads Of Colour Book

By Martin Waller, Dominic Bradbury and Jamie Marshall

Textiles define civilisations as much as architecture, religion
or language. From the morning of time, man has judged his fellow
man by the fabrics he uses to dress himself and his home. Chinese
silks, English flannel, Scots tartans, Hawaiian shirts, Indian
saris all immediately identify a time and a place. In 4th century
Imperial Rome, only the Emperor himself could wear purple and the
manufacture of purple outside the royal dye works was a capital
crime. Today we enjoy easy access to hundreds of textiles in
hundreds of colours. This is an exhilarating luxury, as
inconceivable for almost all man’s existence as space travel was.
It is a privilege we should cherish. In this book, Jamie Marshall’s
photographs capture not only the world’s wondrous obsession with
textiles and colours but also a flavour of what captivates
designers – the joyous appeal of distant cultures and faraway
lands.