Ascher

Zika Ascher (1910). English fabric designer and manufacturer, born in Prague. In the 1930s he emigrated to England with his wife Lida. She worked as a designer for fashion houses such as Molyneux, while Zika opened in London in 1942, a shop for printing on silk. The quality and originality of their work drew the attention of various designers and resulted in a series of fortunate collaborations. In 1945 they printed designs by Henry Moore on silk for Nina Ricci. From this came the idea that would establish them as innovators in textiles rather than simple artisans. Starting in 1948 they produced the Ascher Squares, square silk foulards printed with designs by the most important artists of the era. Thirty-one artists, among them Matisse, Moore, Dérain and Picabia, participated in the initiative. Immediately successful, the foulards become instant collector’s items and are exhibited in galleries as genuine works of art. In the same period, the British government invited the Aschers to participate in an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum called Britain Can Make It that was organized to promote British manufactures. This recognized their contribution to the rebirth of the textile industry. In the early 1950s, Princesses Elisabeth and Margaret were among their clients. The most important houses in Paris, among them Dior and Schiaparelli, requested their fabrics. In the following years they developed new types of fabrics. Very successful was their downy mohair, woven in Scotland with the addition of nylon threads in neon colors. At the request and through the efforts of Zandra Rhodes, clothes made of fabrics created by the Aschers are kept in an area of the Fashion and Textile Museum in London dedicated to Notable British Textile Designers, together with the work of other great names such as Celia Birtwell, Georgina Von Etzdorf and Liberty Studios.