Passion for Liberty!
Marie
Puce was created in 2003, with a first collection at Liberty, of course!
Why
does Marie Puce love Liberty so much?
This
fabric is a real must in the making:
- The
material is a very finely woven cotton. It’s as soft as silk, as light as a
cotton voile and incredibly comfortable to wear in both summer and winter.
- The
patterns are chic and timeless. The colours are refined and the tones are very
accurate.
This
precious material obviously comes at a cost. We’ve tried to replace it and it’s
quite impossible! Nothing can ever replace Liberty.
We know this is exactly
what you love about Marie Puce: very couture cuts, refined finishes and fabrics
of very high quality just like Liberty!
Where
does this extraordinary material come from?
The famous “Liberty of London” name originates from its creator, Arthur
Lasenby Liberty.

Arthur
Lasenby Liberty was fascinated by oriental bazaars.
Ambitious and determined to impose his particular style on fashion and
decoration, he created his brand in 1875.
He
started by borrowing £2,000 from his future father-in-law and rented a
half-sized shop at 218a Regent Street.
In an
era when society was fascinated by Japan and the Orient, he
imported arts objects and luxury
items from across the British Empire: silks, carpets, Japanese porcelain, etc.
His
success was immediate and Londoners flocked to his shop to
buy porcelain, fans, carpets, upholstery, etc.
His
initial loan was repaid in 18 months. He bought the second part of his shop and
then, little by little, the adjacent shops...
The shop became one of the most fashionable places in London!


We were
then in the great Arts & Crafts era, which
revived artisanal and handmade work, with traditional techniques. Art had to be
present everywhere, especially in the everyday objects of the home: furniture,
dishes, carpets, lighting, etc.
Under
the leadership of Edward William Godwin, an architect and designer strongly
influenced by the Arts & Crafts trends, the store acquired an international
reputation, especially after the creation of its clothing department.
The
fabrics become so famous that they decided to import the raw materials and have
them printed in Great Britain, and finally to manufacture the fabrics
themselves in Great Britain.
This
was the birth of the famous “Tana Lawn” that we currently use.
In the 1920s, the
famous TUDOR BUILDING at 214-220 Regent
Street was erected by Edwin T. Hall and
his son.
Arthur
Liberty wanted to create a place where his customers felt as if they were
walking in their own house with small rooms, creating a cosy atmosphere.
Even
today, the Liberty store remains a trendy flagship destination in London


Marie
Puce & Liberty!
Our collections are
always built around
Liberty.
Of
course, we keep the colours and tones of current fashions in mind from the
beginning.
However, a collection always starts with the choice of
Liberty.
Liberty
sends us “bundles” each season:
“Classics”, which are cover versions of successful Liberty
designs, as well as “Fashion” bundles that are created for a single season. The
best “Fashions” sometimes move over to the “Classics” category, but the vast
majority last for only one season.


We
always make our decisions very slowly.
After
receiving these beautiful bundles, we keep 10 to 15 patterns for which we
request a “standard cut” of 3 metres. This allows to get an overview of the
fabric.
Then,
the best 6-8 of them are assembled into clothes. We then have them worn by
children to check how the patterns “come to life”.
And we
generally keep two great classics for lovers of Liberty and two more modern
ones for our customers who like to be surprised!
And now
here’s a small retrospective of the Liberty designs we’ve loved that made the
collections since 2003.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
It’s absolutely
beautiful!


















