| Admin History | Bernat Klein, painter, designer and textile manufacturer based in the Scottish Borders. Klein was born in 1922 in Senta, north of Belgrade in Yugoslavia, into a family involved in the textile trade. In the Summer of 1940, he moved to Jerusalem to study at the Bezalel School of Art, and from there attended the Leeds University Textile Technology course in 1945. In 1948 he was employed by Tootals Mill in Bolton as a Designer. He then worked with Munroe Spun for two years. Based initially in Edinburgh, he was then moved to Galashiels.
Klein started his own company Colourcraft (Gala) limited in the sheds between Netherdale Mill and Schofields of Galashiels, now destroyed, in 1952, weaving rugs, head squares and ties in a small shed with 4 looms. This involved the employment of local workers and the management of his shop, the 'Boutique' in Edinburgh. In 1956 he moved to the High Mill. Trial lengths were produced at the High Mill by Klein and his designers, full-scale production was carried out at Gibson and Lumgair. The group of technical designers included Jeremy Hooker, Grant Gilligen and Caroline Bowyer.
Klein's first real success was a brushed mohair loop yarn. This was Section dyed - a hank of yarn was clamped twice - producing a two coloured effect with a grading between the two . Then followed Velvet Tweed, inspired by a Tie produced in Norway, which incorporated a ribbon yarn. Synthetic ruched ribbon bought from Lyon was also successful, as was slubby worsted yarn. Klein built up trade with the likes of Marks and Spencer, but in 1962 the fabrics were bought by the couture market. The first break was a check mohair tweed taken up by Chanel. This proved successful, with customers including British Designers Hardy Amies, Ronald Paterson and John Cavanagh, but also selling extensively throughout the United States and Europe, including some pieces for the French Fashion Houses of Balenciaga, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Christina Dior, Nina Ricci and Pierre Cardin. French couture described Klein's fabric as 'Fantasy'. In 1964, a honeycomb fabric was used to fill Harrods windows.
Following the success in couture, in 1962 the company was renamed Bernat Klein Limited. Robert Sinclair Ltd, a subsidiary of the Imperial Tobacco Company Ltd., acquired a major share of the business. This company later also acquired Gibson and Lumgair. In 1963 the range was extended to include knitting patterns, wool and coordinated fabric lengths. The company also produced men's and women's suiting fabric. Because of the cost of the designer clothes, many women bought the fabric from the Mill Shop in Galashiels and made clothes themselves. This echoed his philosophy that all women should be well dressed, rather than fashionably dressed, and this should be affordable for everyone. In 1965 he produced a set of Colour Guides. These had a range of six eye colours and showed the appropriate colours that should be worn. His philosophy was that colours that were fashionable did not suit everyone, and both men and women should wear the colours that suited their colouring.
Klein resigned from the company in 1966 and established Bernat Klein Consultancy in a purpose-built building, at High Sunderland, on the outskirts of Galashiels. In the 1970s he began a ready to wear collection with shops in Edinburgh and London as well as mail order selling. This included a printed jersey known as Diolen which featured patterns which were a blow up of photographs of his paintings. He also carried out design consultancy work and produced tapestries and rugs. He went bankrupt in 1980 and established a cottage industry manufacturing knitwear at one time employing 250 hand knitters gathering fabric at 3 collecting points. Bernat died on 17 April 2014. |