The origins of the Paisley pattern

Paisley is a classic Indian motif but did you know it is named after a town in Scotland  and is of Indian origin? Let's take a look at its history...

From the 16th century, woven shawls made of delicate Kashmir/ Cashmere goat wool were worn in India and were considered a luxury item. By the late 18th century they became increasingly popular in Britain, which was the ruling power in India at the time. The shawls contained a pattern made of two elements -  teardrop shapes known as boteh, the Persian word for flower, with Indian-style pinecones inside. It is thought the design originated in the Kashmir area.

In the 19th century the town of Paisley in Scotland was a centre for manufacture of these shawls and so the pattern itself became known as Paisley. Queen Victoria was a big fan of the Paisley shawl and visited the town in 1888. Traditionally weaving had been a slow process involving 2 people, a weaver and assistant, manually moving threads.  With the invention of the Jaquard loom, more complicated patterns could be programmed and less-skilled weavers could be used. The Paisley weavers worked out how to use 5 colours of thread instead of 2. Thus, mass production distributed the Paisley pattern across Britain and what had once been a luxury product could now be more affordable. 

More recently, paisley was used in the 1960s and 70s for psychedelic fashions - it represented the eastern mysticism in vogue at the time. Pop stars such as the Beatles wore paisley shirts.