STYLE MAKER Textile and homeware designer Tori Murphy
Tori Murphy’s beautiful fabric designs are a touch of luxury to enjoy every day
As fabric designer Tori Murphy poses serenely in her new workshop, it’s hard to believe she’s only just moved into the converted nursery school near Nottingham. Ever busy, Tori is putting the finishing touches to her latest collection, dealing with orders and working on new collaborations. And, while running her business, she’s bringing up two children with her partner Joby in the half-renovated house they’ve just relocated to.
Machinists are busy stitching in the airy, light-filled studio, which is crammed with fabric swatches, samples and rolls of patterned cloth – it’s a world away from the cramped room where she created her brand eight years ago. Now, Tori sells to Harrods and Harvey Nichols, and her range has grown from cushions and throws to kitchenware and accessories. And she owes it all to an eight-metre length of cloth she begged a mill to make for her.
It was a move to Milan after graduating from the Royal College of Art that opened up a whole new world for Tori. ‘I worked for a textile manufacturer that made scarves for Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Burberry. The factory floor was a huge, industrial space with twenty 15-metre-long printing tables. I fell in love with it all and developed a real understanding of the manufacturing process – from print, cutting and wrapping, to storing, logistics and distribution.’
But one memory stands out. ‘In a sample sale, I found a wool scarf. There was a simplicity in the fabric and I felt great every time I wore it – I knew this was what I wanted to do.’
Inspired by her work in Italy, Tori moved to Nottingham to work for a menswear label, where she was introduced
to British factories. ‘My experience of Italian textiles, along with my work in the UK, helped me to see that there was an opportunity to create something that was 100 per cent English. I contacted a few mills with my idea but was told I would need to order 500 metres of fabric and it would cost me £5,000 – which I didn’t have.’
Finally, Tori travelled to a small mill in Lancashire. ‘They agreed to weave eight metres of fabric for me and, together with Jane who’s still with me today, I made 12 cushions and four throws. After exhibiting at a trade show, a store on London’s New King’s Road ordered eight cushions and we were featured in a magazine too. It all took off from there.’
And so the Tori Murphy company was born. ‘It’s a Made in England lifestyle brand,’ she says firmly. ‘The products are created from quality materials.’ Since then, she’s collaborated with everyone from Heal’s to Jo Malone and, currently, she’s working with Sofa.com and has a new venture with Pooky.
As the company has changed, so too have the customers. ‘When we moved into kitchen textiles, using more cotton, the price point came down and we became more accessible.’
Tori’s ethos remains in place, though. ‘It’s a brand that creates quality products; a piece of everyday luxury that should give you a sense of pride when you use it.’
Find out more at torimurphy.com
‘I worked for a textile manufacturer in Milan and fell in love with it all – I knew this was what I wanted to do’