Bernat Klein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bernat Klein
|
|
|---|---|
Klein in the 1960s
|
|
| Born | 6 November 1922 Senta, Kingdom SCS
|
| Died | 17 April 2014 (aged 91) |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Textile design, painting |
| Awards | Design Council Award (1968) |
Bernat Klein (born November 6, 1922 – died April 17, 2014) was a talented designer and painter from Serbia. He became famous for his amazing textile designs. Based in Scotland, Bernat Klein created fabrics for top fashion designers in the 1960s and 1970s. Later, he even sold his own clothing lines!
About Bernat Klein
Bernat Klein was born in 1922 in a place called Senta, which was then part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He loved art and design from a young age.
His Education and Early Career
In 1940, Bernat Klein went to the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. After that, he moved to England. From 1945, he studied how to make textiles at the University of Leeds.
He worked for different textile companies in England and Scotland. Then, in 1952, he decided to start his own company. He called it Colourcraft (Gala) Ltd.
Starting His Own Business
His company had a weaving center in Galashiels, a town in the Scottish Borders. They made rugs and other items. These were sold at his own shop in Edinburgh.
Bernat Klein was very creative with his textiles. He started working with big companies like Marks and Spencer.
Becoming Famous in Fashion
A big moment for Bernat Klein came in 1962. The famous fashion designer Coco Chanel chose his special mohair tweed fabrics. She used them for her 1963 spring/summer collection!
This made his work very popular. Soon, other top fashion houses in the US and Europe wanted his fabrics. These included Dior, Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin, and Saint Laurent.
His company was renamed Bernat Klein Limited. A large part of his business was bought by a company linked to Imperial Tobacco.
New Beginnings
In 1966, Bernat Klein left this company. He decided to start working on his own again. He set up his new business from his home near Selkirk.
He even had a special studio built by the architect Peter Womersley. This was the same architect who designed Klein's house, High Sunderland, in the 1950s.
Bernat Klein also started a "cottage industry." This meant he hired up to 250 people who hand-knitted items from their homes.
His Own Collections and Awards
In the 1970s, he began making his own clothing collections. He also became a consultant, helping others with design and color.
Bernat Klein got his ideas from nature for his textiles and paintings. He was known for his colorful tweeds. These often included soft mohair and shiny ribbons. He also used velvet and jersey fabrics.
He won the Design Council Award in 1968. In 2003, he received an honorary degree from Heriot-Watt University.
Bernat Klein's Brand
In 1962, when his company became Bernat Klein Ltd, he started selling his textiles in Europe and North America. His company used the modern Helvetica font for its logo.
His family home, High Sunderland, and his studio were often shown in his branding. This helped link his personal style with his company's image. It also made his company seem very modern and artistic.
Reaching Fashion Magazines
Throughout the 1960s, Bernat Klein became well-known in top fashion magazines in London and Paris. He often sold his fabrics to designers through agents. This meant he didn't always know who was using his textiles.
For example, he only found out that Coco Chanel used his mohair fabrics after reading about it in a French magazine called Elle.
Ready-to-Wear and Catalogues
In the late 1960s, Bernat Klein started focusing on screen-printed textiles and ready-to-wear fashion. This was clothing that was already made in standard sizes.
In 1973, he launched his first mail-order catalogues for women's clothing. These catalogues showed clothes made from new screen-printed polyester jersey fabrics. The outfits were grouped by color. A color chart was included so customers could choose items that matched.
Bernat Klein also sold his fabrics so people could knit their own creations. His wife, Margaret Klein, even hand-knitted many patterns using his textiles. These were shown in the catalogues.
Textile Techniques
Bernat Klein used a special method called "space-dyeing" or "random dyeing." This allowed him to put up to eight different colors into a single yarn. This meant a single piece of cloth could have up to 32 colors!
By combining brushed and space-dyed mohair in many colors, he created fabrics that seemed to glow. His clothes had a lot of texture. This was perfect for the simple, clean coats and suits popular in the 1960s. He often used woven mohair, wool, silk, and synthetic fibers.
To make sure his colors were just right, he created a "5000 piece color dictionary." This was a collection of many color boards. It helped him design textiles and talk about colors with the people who dyed his fabrics.
Oil Painting
Bernat Klein's textile designs were often inspired by the beautiful Scottish landscape. He would look at nature and break down images into flat areas of color.
He created oil paintings using a technique called impasto. This is where thick layers of oil paint are put onto a board using a palette knife. This makes the painting look very textured and lively. He also loved the style of post-impressionism, especially the dot-like paintings of Georges Seurat.
Klein's oil paintings were even photographed and zoomed in. These zoomed-in images were then used to help him choose colors and designs for his textiles.
Tulip 2, Bernat Klein, Oil on board (1962)
This painting of a tulip inspired a rug design. The rug was made for a carpet company called Tomkinsons in England.
Seascape, Bernat Klein, Oil on board (1963)
This painting shows a swirling view of the sea over rocks on the Italian coast. Its blue and green colors were used in a velvet, mohair, and wool coat and dress made in 1964. This outfit belonged to his wife, Margaret Klein.
Autumn Trees, Bernat Klein, Oil on linen canvas (1964)
This painting was inspired by the changing seasons and colors of the Scottish landscape.
Highland Pool, Bernat Klein for Dovecot Studios, Woven Tapestry, cotton and wool (1971)
Bernat Klein asked Dovecot Studios to create ten tapestries. These tapestries were based on magnified parts of his impasto oil paintings. The weavers at the studio used new techniques to capture the amazing 3D texture of his paintings.
