The History of Cloth: Paisley

​Have you ever wondered how this unique design came to be? We have! Join us as we set out to discover the origins of this distinctive print.

The paisley print was born in Persia. In Persian, it is called ‘boteh’ or ‘buto’, meaning 'flower'. From there it traveled to India in the 1500s, where it was adopted as the preferred pattern for the Kashmir shawls made of the soft wool from the Pashmina goats of the Himalayan region. In India, the fabric design is called 'ambi', said to be derived from a Hindi word for mango, suggested by the plump, curved shapes of the prominate motifs in the print.

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The design made its way to Europe through the Kashmir shawls, often gifted to important people such as officers of the East India Company. The Company started importing the shawls to Europe, where they caught the fancy of famous people like the Empress Josephine of France, and became a fashion craze. In Scotland, cloth mills went to work trying to replicate the pattern. The mills of Paisley, West of Glasgow, succeeded; and the name of the town has come to represent the design itself in the English language.​

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Paisley has continued to be a popular print throughout the ages. As the traditional 'bandana' print, it has represented the rugged ethos of the American cowboy and farmer; in a soft silk handkerchief, it speaks of elegance and sophistication when tucked in a gentleman's suitcoat pocket. Whether worn as a cute blouse with a denim skirt, or as a richly toned formal dress, or as one of Queen Elisabeth's several delicate brooches pinned to her shoulder, the paisley motif has brought beauty and grace to women's wardrobes.

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Paisley Skirt

Our paisley collection includes Black & Red, Purple, Kelley Green, Light Gray, and Turquoise. We think it would be lovely as a paisley dress with a white pinafore; a paisley blouse with a solid Dream Cotton skirt in a darker shade; a paisley skirt with a white blouse and contrasting waistband; a paisley jumper or pinafore over a white blouse - and so many, many more! We hope you'll decide to treat your wardrobe with something in this distinctive and lovely design.