I have long loved a good collaboration between brands and thankfully, we’ve seen a lot of them coming out of the UK/USA over the years yet it never gets old when the collabs are good. Just this morning, I learned from my German PR contact that Harlequin officially launched their collaboration with British fashion designer Henry Holland (@henryholland) to present a light and casual collection of fabrics and wallpapers with an artistic approach.

Holland is new to me, but possibly not to you - I just started following his insta today in fact. However, he’s been around the block having gained prominence throughout the years for his distinctive and playful designs in the fashion world. He initially worked as a fashion journalist and blogger before transitioning into fashion design where he founded fashion label House of Holland which became known for its bold, irreverent style, characterized by bright colors, graphic prints, and a sense of fun and humor. This former Creative Director of House of Holland (he has since moved on) discovered a love of ceramics during the pandemic and formed Henry Holland Studio — a collection of hand built ceramics and homeware projects. Holland has since collaborated with various brands and retailers, expanding his influence beyond fashion into interiors.

For his new collection with Harlequin, you will see a mix between Harlequin’s color worlds and selected elements from their archive combined with Holland’s artistic flair. Holland's love of the Japanese pottery technique Nerikomi is part of the inspiration.

Nerikomi is a traditional Japanese pottery technique that involves layering, mixing, and manipulating different colored clays to create intricate patterns and designs within the body of the ceramic piece. The term "Nerikomi" comes from the Japanese words "neri" (to knead or mix) and "komi" (to fill or mix in) and is admired because of its unique, detailed patterns embedded within the material itself, rather than applied as a surface decoration. This technique requires a high level of skill and patience, as the process of layering and manipulating the clays can be quite complex.

Intended as a mere creative outlet while taking a break from fashion, he stumbled across his interpretation of the nerikomi technique seated at his kitchen table during lockdown and quickly fell in love with the meditative process of building each piece by hand, which provided a new, and welcome pace of working, following years spent in the frenetic world of fashion.

The fabrics and wallpapers in this collection show a mix of organic shapes and interplay of lines, some structured patterns and graphical elements. The color palette ranges from earthy tones to muted blue and pink, and definitely all colors that we’ll be seeing into the seasons to come - especially chartreuse, red tones, and brown. Holland's design influence is realized in this collection in many detailed ways throughout with layered designed and a lot of color. The collection's wide range of colors can be used in a variety of ways to create personal and character-filled looks. The color palette is said to be universal and easy to use, which I believe as earth tones are quite flexible.

You’ll find an embroidered ombré chevron pattern called Southborough which is simply lovely. Next, the Elsworthy moiré-style wallpaper which features a luxurious silk embossing, mimicking fabric on the wall. For those of you new to this term, moiré wallpaper is a type of decorative wall covering that features a pattern resembling the traditional "moiré" effect seen in textiles. The moiré pattern typically consists of wavy, rippling lines that create a shimmering, water-like appearance, often with an iridescent or optical illusion effect. This pattern is named after the moiré effect, which originally described the visual phenomenon seen when two sets of closely spaced parallel lines or grids are superimposed and slightly offset, creating a wavy or distorted appearance.

Blenets Check Mini is a statement fabric which features densely woven blocks of color in a chessboard-like sequence. Structured and simple, each color variation of Blenets Check Mini feels simple yet sublime.

Great Hey is a jacquard cotton velvet in a ladder pattern that elegantly places Henry's signature 'h' in a formation, making it appear almost hidden in the fabric.

YOU are invited to a LIVE Q&A with Henry Holland on 5th September at 4pm for a free webinar where Holland and the Harlequin designers explain the creative process behind the collaboration. Click below to sign up for free.

So what do you think? Does this collection inspire or impress you? I love the colors and patterns and find it more timeless than trend, which I really appreciate - it feels lasting but also has a bit of an edge to it. Lovely collection, for sure!

Harlequin is part of Sanderson Design Group PLC, a luxury interior design company that designs, manufactures designs, manufactures and distributes wallpapers, fabrics and paints. In addition, the company generates licensing income from the use of its designs for a wide range of products including bed and bathroom collections, carpets, blinds and tableware. The brands of the Sanderson Design Group brands include Zoffany, Sanderson, Morris & Co, Harlequin, Clarke & Clarke and Scion. The company has a strong UK manufacturing base with the Anstey wallpaper factory in Loughborough and Standfast & Barracks, a fabric printing factory, in Lancaster.

(Photos: With permission from Harlequin)