Material Matters With Grant Gibson

Mourne Textiles is a rather brilliant hand-woven textile company based in Northern Ireland. It was founded by Gerd Hay-Edie after the Second World War and quickly went on to create pieces for the likes of Robin Day, Terence Conran, Liberty of London and fashion designer Sybil Connolly, becoming a staple of British modernism. After some difficult years, it has re-emerged from the doldrums and appears to be in fine fettle under the aegis of Gerd’s grandson Mario Sierra.In this episode Mario discusses how he grew up surrounded by hand-weaving in Northern Ireland; living through The Troubles; the legacy of his extraordinary grandmother; the joy of lumpy yarn; and how his family firm has re-emerged with the help of companies like fashion designer Margaret Howell and furniture manufacturer Pinch. Oh, and we have a quick natter about Brexit as well but don’t let that put you off. You can find out more about Mourne and Mario here: mournetextiles.com Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/materialmatters?fan_landin