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FABRICS
Give Me Libertine
Johnson Hartig channels the avant-garde aesthetic of his
fashion line in a new textile collection for Schumacher
1. JOHNSON HARTIG. 2. A LIBERTINE
JACKET ON SCHUMACHER’S MAGICAL
MING DRAGON FABRIC. 3. CHAIRS
COVERED IN MODERN TOILE.
A
memorable perfume advertisement
from the 1970s enticed consumers
with the indelible tagline “If you
want to capture someone’s attention,
whisper.” Johnson Hartig is having
none of it. The founding force behind
the Libertine fashion line prefers riots of color,
pattern, and eccentric appliqués—nothing coy about
it. Hartig has now translated his signature aesthetic
into a line of jubilant fabrics and wall coverings for
Schumacher that draws inspiration from sources as
diverse as Renaissance drawings, Ming vases, Indian
batiks, and World War I British warship camouflage.
One fabric, originally designed for a recent Libertine
collection, transcribes a Robert Burns poem in
graphic letters. “I’m much more of a traditionalist
than people might think,” Hartig insists. “It’s the
DISCOVERIES
PHOTOGRAPHY BY YOSHI MAKINO
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