Thea Porter, Fashion and Textile Museum

Thea Porter originally brought Middle Eastern textiles to small shop in Soho during the 1960's. Her stock was quickly discovered by the glamorous London set, and  soon her designs were sported by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Mick and Bianca Jagger and Barbra Streisand. 

The first ever exhibition to celebrate Porter, it will cover her career in full. Porter began by specialising in finding rare materials from unknown warehouses with a bias towards interior design. Initially she sold oversized cushions made from materials imported from Turkey. She later expanded her franchise to focus on couture designs, creating her signature Thea Porter kaftan from these same imported materials. Her elegant drapes and bright colours embodied seventies style. 

The new Thea Porter exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum is one of the great things to do in Southwark London this February. It will cover Porter’s life and career from her early years in Jerusalem, Damascus and Beirut in the 1950s, Soho in the 1960s, and New York, Los Angeles and Paris in the 1970s. It will also explore the influence of Middle Eastern and North African textiles and culture on 20th century fashion and interior design. 

Read our article on Thea Porter and seventies style here.