An exhibition exploring a seminal textile design and fashion manufacturer has opened at the Royal Cornwall Museum. 

Cryséde: Iconic Imagemakers explores the story of this clothing brand and its vibrant fabric designs, uncovering the people behind the label and exposing the ingenuity of this Cornish legacy, which remains highly influential and collectible a century on. 

The exhibition includes Cryséde garments and accessories, original artwork and woodblocks, textile samples, photographs and first-hand testimony from employees.

Originally created by husband-and-wife team Alec and Kay Walker, Cryséde was born from artist Alec’s experience in silk manufacturing. Alec left Yorkshire in 1918 to set up a small experimental textile factory in Newlyn where wood-block printed silk fabrics and garments were designed and manufactured.

The company was founded in Newlyn in 1919, its first textile factory housed in a row of derelict cottages next to the founders’ home and staffed by local seamstresses. The clothes were sold through outlets around the country, and overseas through mail order. An onsite shop sold printed silk by the yard for dressmakers to create their own designs.

Within two years of opening, Cryséde had opened three fashion stores in Cornwall: Market Jew Street in Penzance, St Ives High Street and Church Street in Falmouth. A year later, they were joined by an outlet in Quiet Street, Bath.

Following a meeting with artist Raoul Dufy in Paris in 1924, Alec was encouraged to translate his own watercolour sketches into textile designs, which were printed onto English silk. Kay designed the garments, creating fabric designs and prints which endure and inspire to this day. 

Manufacturing moved to St Ives in 1926, with many of the workforce from Newlyn bussed to the new location each day. The business later relocated to Hayle during the late 1940s.

Bryony Robins, artistic director for the Royal Cornwall Museum, said: “The exhibition delves into the characters behind the success of Cryséde, the ups and downs, and the beauty of the designs and garments produced.

“During a time of high unemployment and poverty, Cryséde gave jobs and skills to generations of young local women, enriching them with valuable dress-making expertise.

“The story is further testament to Cornwall’s long heritage of art, creativity, and innovation, a legacy which continues to this day.”

The exhibition also features fine art by Harold Harvey and Elizabeth Forbes, who like Kay were alumni of the Newlyn School of Painting. The school depicted life in and around the locality, and its subjects and colour palette would have influenced the Walkers’ designs.

The Royal Cornwall Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm. For more information on ticket prices visit royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk