LONDON.- Ascher Studio, fourth generation grand wizards of the fabulous scarf, are launching their first new collection of scarves in thirty years.
To launch the collection, Ascher appeared at the New York International Gift Fair, where they took a stand in the fashion accessories section, August 14-19. This was Ascher’s first appearance at a gift fair, ever.

Sam Ascher, fourth generation director of the veteran company, is a young man on a mission. “This was the official launch of our new scarf line in the US for buyers and press. We were communicating the history of our company and talking about the direction and the future that we see for ourselves in the fashion and home accessories business. “

They met with buyers from luxury fashion boutiques and gift stores all over the US in addition to the major department stores.

The Ascher name is closely linked to great mid-century fashion designers such as Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Jean Muir, Mary Quant and Pierre Cardin, for whom they made textiles.

In addition, the visionary Zika Ascher, Sam’s grandfather, had close links to fine artists in France and England, and as Europe began to heal after the decimation of WWII, he realized these artists needed work, so he asked them to design scarves and print designs for him.

Thus began a series of commissions from artists whose names inspire awe: Matisse, Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Sonia Delaunay, Henry Moore, Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland, Feliks Topolski, and Alexander Calder are among them.

The Aschers are textile people, originally from Prague, with innate style and an uncompromising approach to quality. They’re also artists. Having moved to London to escape the war, in the late ‘70’s they moved again to New York where Peter Ascher and his designer wife Robin concentrated on new wave cottons and silks for fashion designers.

Now their son Sam is forging into the future with a new collection of scarves silk-screened onto silk twill, silk chiffon and a sumptuous cashmere/modal blend. The designs by Graham Sutherland, Feliks Topolski, Gerald Wilde and Alexander Calder, have been carefully selected from the Ascher archives, and re-issued in vibrant new colorways. The Wilde piece is taken from a fabric worn by Princess Elizabeth on her Royal Tour of Australia in 1947. Each scarf has Ascher London on the label, to denote that the design is different from the limited editions issued during the Zika Ascher’s London period.

“I’m delighted to return to London where my grandparents founded the company and created so many of the historic designs in our archives. There is great interest in vintage mid-century design, both in fashion and interiors, so re-issuing scarves from our archive in fashionable sizes and fabrics is the most contemporary move I could make. I’m tremendously excited by these designs, and I hope London will be too.” Says Ascher.

In addition, there are 4 new designs: starting with Flowers, an optimistic floral originally by Sam’s grandmother Lida, which he has reconfigured in black or pink. The Ascher plaid is fun and quirky in grey, black and bright pink. Rose Pompom is based on an Ascher pattern that featured prominently in the Christian Dior collection of 1954, now an absolute smash in beige, grey/magenta or pink cashmere. Papier Dechiré is a geometric abstract in beige or blue, reminiscent of an early 1960s non-objective painting.

Sam has plans to develop a line of interiors accessories – using both vintage and new designs. “We are hoping to commission new artists for scarves and interiors accessories too. The future is wide open!” he says with a smile.