Quezi

Paisley silk tie fabrics (Photographs by uriba - CC-BY)

I used to see the paisley design as a curled leaf or feather, without thinking about its history. Paisley fabric is “patterned with distinctive, ornate, teardrop- or feather-shaped figures, based on an Indian pine cone design”, according to the dictionary. Textile experts have called it a “drooping bud” or a  “Kashmir cone”. It’s also been associated with mangoes, pears, date palms, the “tree of life” and various symbols drawn from Nature.

However you describe the shape, its origins are in Asia. Persia (Iran) is most often cited as its first home, but India and neighbouring countries also used the design long before it was seen on other continents. In that part of the world boteh or buta is the word for the paisley motif. So why is the design commonly called after a town in Scotland – Paisley, near Glasgow?

The answer lies partly in the history of shawls. When European manufacturers started to weave their own versions of Kashmiri and Indian cashmere shawls, they made great use of the distinctive boteh/paisley pattern. The town of Paisley was already known as a weaving town and it went on to become one of the most important UK shawl production centres, a little later than Norwich and Edinburgh, where some of the best quality imitation Kashmir shawls were made. According to the Paisley Museum‘s display in its Shawl Gallery:

Paisley … mass-produced their shawls and this meant they were more commonly available for purchase than those produced elsewhere. This led to customers asking to ‘see a selection of Paisleys’. Even after the shawls went out of fashion, the pattern remained popular, and was probably referred to as ‘the pattern from the Paisleys’. This soon shortened to ‘paisley pattern’.

Paisley patterns soon appeared on clothing from calico dresses to silk cravats. In interior design it decorated furnishing fabric and wallpaper. The name spread round the English-speaking world.

Over time, local interpretations of the design took it away from its Asian roots. Different colour schemes were tried, with new elements like European  flowers, for instance. All-over paisley cotton prints designed to please overseas markets were imported from India. Quantities were also manufactured in Europe. American cotton mills produced many different paisleys from the 19th century onward. Some of their older designs survive in antique quilts, and have been called “Persian pickles”.

Paisley patterns come in many forms. Small scrolling teardrops can be sprinkled over fabric like polka dots. Large eye-catching paisley shapes can be built up from numerous flowers, curls, dots, and smaller paisleys. “Vintage paisley” may mean paisley fabric with a bold 1960s look, or subtler prints from other eras. Interpretations of the pattern may be described as “ethnic paisley” , “Victorian paisley”, “traditional paisley” – and more.