In celebration of the 120th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Cath Kidston has revealed a new collaboration with The World of Peter Rabbit.
Developed under licence from Penguin Ventures, the collection of hand-drawn illustrations and storytelling prints will be seen across clothing, bags, home and children’s.
The print design team was inspired by Beatrix Potter’s life as an artist, scientist, painter and author, with each print created embracing her sketches from the classic story, plus other characters and stories including The Tailor of Gloucester and Jemima Puddle-Duck.
For example, Mr McGregor’s garden comes to life with hand-drawn botanicals and vegetables, woven among the characters. Hidden notes of Cath Kidston’s own print heritage, such as a newly drawn take on its archive mushroom, can also be found.
Prints include Garden Ditsy; Sleeping Bunnies; The Tailor of Gloucester print which weaves through the summer narrative Love Sewn Into Every Stitch; plus Dear Noel, which saw the team explore Beatrix’s original line drawings and illustrations from the first breath of Peter Rabbit. Originally drawn in letters to her friend and former governess’s ailing son Noel – Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail and Peter – plus all their misadventures – were born as notes of love to bring him joy.
“It is a joy to design the Beatrix Potter collection, to tell these beautiful stories through print is a real pleasure,” commented Holly Marler, creative director at Cath Kidston. “It reminds me of my childhood and when my children were small, to evoke these fond memories and nostalgia is really important to our brand and makes our print narrative really passionate and purposeful. Watching each of these characters come alive in Cath Kidston’s landscape and celebrating Beatrix Potter’s craft was truly an honour.”
David Sprei, commercial director at Penguin Ventures, continued: “We were delighted to collaborate with Cath Kidston again and to see this beautiful collection launch during the 120th birthday celebrations for Peter Rabbit. Cath Kidston have brought Beatrix Potter’s classic character to a contemporary audience through their exquisite craftmanship and narrative-led design. We can’t wait to see the response to the collection from customers and fans alike.”
The collaboration will launch both online and in the brand’s flagship store in Piccadilly on 25 July.
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