Striped in Horsehair: Oakley Moore x John Boyd Textiles

When John Boyd Textiles approached Kate Aslangul of Oakley Moore to collaborate on their first new horsehair fabric in over twenty years, the brief was deceptively simple: to create a striped horsehair collection with a crisp, contemporary sensibility.

Stripes are something Kate returns to again and again in her interiors. They are endlessly adaptable, capable of feeling coastal, classical, Scandinavian or contemporary depending on their scale and context. In almost every room she designs, there is a stripe somewhere. Sometimes they take centre stage; sometimes they sit quietly within the layering of a room, providing rhythm and cohesion.

The designing of the collection coincided with the renovation of Kate’s house on the Île de Ré, a place where she has spent many happy summers bicycling to the market or to the beach across the salt marshes. The island’s chalky light, muted timber tones and weathered shutters subtly informed the palette. Horsehair as a material carries inherent structure and formality, so the challenge was to introduce freshness and lively movement through colour without losing its integrity.

One palette in particular grew from a series of visual references that had been quietly sitting in her archive for years; a Biba dress, a fragment of antique silk and the paintings of Van Gogh, where colour is never static but seems to vibrate with life. Translating that feeling into woven stripes became an exercise in balance. Numerous colour combinations were explored, refining stripe widths by millimetres, and what appears effortless on the surface is the result of meticulous adjustments to scale, proportion and tone.

John Boyd Textiles has been weaving horsehair in Castle Cary since 1837, using original looms and traditional techniques dating back to 1870. Each fabric is crafted from the finest horse tail hair combined with cotton or silk warps, delivering exceptional durability, natural fire resistance and acoustic properties. With its deep heritage, it feels surprisingly fresh for today.

The collaboration has since inspired two new signature Oakley Moore pieces. The Flynn Drum Stool, with its clean cylindrical form, provides a perfect canvas for the movement of the stripe, whilst the Burton Lampshade introduces structure and character to a room without overwhelming it. Both are handmade in the UK. Kate’s intention with both pieces was to create designs that sit effortlessly within all styles of interior, from coastal to contemporary and traditional to Scandinavian. The result is a versatile collection that feels both timeless and confidently modern.

The Flynn Drum Stool and Burton Lampshade are available to purchase online via Oakley Moore’s shop. Please note there is limited availability.

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