His Prints All Over It
John Derian makes his first foray into bedding.
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, at a Boston trade show, a woman carrying a pile of quilts caught John Derian’s eye. The patterns were so captivating that he followed her and insisted on an introduction to the creative mind behind them: Jeanette Farrier, a one-time costume designer who transitioned into handmade beddings and soft goods produced with the help of a women’s collective in Mayurhat, India. Farrier happened to be on a lunch break when Derian arrived, so the two didn’t actually meet then and there, but the connection was formed. “I was so excited that he had visited my stand and purchased some throws,” Farrier remembers. “It was love at first sight,” Derian says of the eventual union.
Now, Farrier and Derian—best known for his impeccably curated stores selling decoupage, crockery, and oil paintings—have collaborated on John Derian for Jeanette Farrier. The line comprises four quilts (out now at Derian’s shops) covered in micro hydrangea prints or a large scroll of goldenrod-colored vines; rather than batting, they are filled with layers of cotton, giving the blankets a lovely, even heft. Two are replicas of Farrier pieces—one-of-a-kind blankets crafted with upcycled sari textiles— that reside in Derian’s Provincetown, Massachusetts, home. The others are re-creations of 18th-century French quilts Derian picked up in Paris long ago. Despite the varying source material, Derian sees a confluence: “A lot of the 18th-century French things are influenced by India,” he says. “I guess I do love the 18th century—the coloring, the florals, and the style are just so particular and so special.”