It all began 25 years ago with the launch of the book, Glorious Patchwork by Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy. At that time the only fabrics produced for the new company were handwoven Stripes and Shots from India. Kaffe's love for scrappy quilts inspired him to produce printed fabrics that he wanted to use in his own quilts. Roman Glass, which is still in the line, was the first of his printed fabrics. For several years, he was the sole artist, hand-painting his own designs until he brought in his friends, Philip Jacobs and Brandon Mably. Philip's detailed largescale florals derived from historic fabrics and Brandon's whimsical modern designs were added to Kaffe's eclectic ones Together they became the Kaffe Fassett Collective. What sets this line of fabric apart from all others is purposeful mis-match of color and pattern and scale. Kaffe has, from the beginning, wanted his brand of fabrics to look as though they were happened upon in a charity shop, just perfect for making the scrappy quilts that inspired him from the beginning.

(Photo: Liza Prior Lucy, Kaffe Fassett, Brandon Mably)

https://freespiritfabrics.com/kaffe-fassett-collective/

I see a lot of my fans will take all of my big flower fabrics and Phillip’s big flower fabrics and put them together and end up with something very mushy, kind of chop suey.https://blog.missouriquiltco.com/an-exclusive-interview-with-kaffe-fassett-brandon-mably/

Raised in a small seaside town on the coast of South Wales, Brandon Mably has been interested in colour and design since he was young.

With no formal education in design, Mably made a radical career change from cooking to knitting in the late 1980's after a chance meeting with the world-famous Kaffe Fassett. According to author/ designer and Mably mentor Kaffe Fassett, Brandon has "one of the sharpest eyes for style" that he has ever come across.

From the moment he entered Kaffe’s studio, Brandon realised the creative potential of knitwear designs and soon became Kaffe's apprentice.

For many years Brandon organised the running of the studio, where Kaffe trained him to knit, needlepoint, hook rag rugs, and grout mosaics. An inspiring teacher, he began travelling the world with Kaffe doing workshops. Exotic locales such as Africa, Iceland, Guatemala, and India filled his designer's eye with inspiration and an explosion of colour and pattern.

An avid and enthusiastic teacher, Brandon has learned one thing over the years - that most people have buried in them a sense of colour and design. It is helping his students discover that design sensibility that continues to inspire and motivate his work.

https://freespiritfabrics.com/brandon-mably-1/

Philip Jacobs was born in East Molesey in Surrey where from an early age he developed a great passion for painting and for the natural world. He has been designing fabric and wallpaper for a worldwide market since he left Hornsey College of Art in 1976 with a degree in textiles and fashion.

Philip started off designing fabrics for dresses, bedding and home furnishings in the early 1980`s, becoming Design Director of the English fabric house Ramm Son & Crocker in the late 1980s.He has designed fabric and wallpaper collections for the world’s great fabric houses, including: Sanderson, Zoffany, Brunschwig & Fils, Lee Jofa, Colefax & Fowler, Marks & Spencer, Baker Furniture, Andrew Martin, Liberty, Osborne & Little, Hinson, Hardy Amies and many more. His work has been illustrated in numerous books and magazines and was used for the decoration of part of the White House during the Clinton administration.

He is now designing fabric as part of the Kaffe Fassett Collective and under his own label Snow Leopard Designs for the FreeSpirit brand. The Snow Leopard collections are inspired by "exotic cultures from distant mountains and valleys" and as well as his trademark classic florals, contain a more exotic element.

His inspiration is drawn from his vast archive of 18th, 19th and 20th century fabrics, wallpapers, paintings and brocades. He currently spends his time working between studios in London and Dorset in the UK. His other interests include: excavating fossil dinosaur bones along England`s Jurassic coastline and the study and collection of Japanese and Tibetan art and antiques.

Philip also writes books on practical philosophy: "One Self" and "Being" both available on Amazon.

https://freespiritfabrics.com/philip-jacobs/