Producers and Wholesalers of Damasks, Brocades, Brocatelles, Tapestries and Trimmings for the manufacture of Church Vestments, Legal & Academic Wear, Film, Television & Theatrical Costumes and Bridal Wear 

M. Perkins & Son was established in 1813 initially to manufacture fringes and other trimmings for ecclesiastical vestments. The business was successful and it was subsequently decided to branch out into the production of damasks, brocades, brocatelles and tapestries specifically designed for use in the manufacture of Church vesture... In this they were assisted by their geographical location - their premises in Curtain Road, Shoreditch were set in the heart of the old Huguenot textile producing area of East London.

The halcyon days of the company came in the late 1890s with its association with Sir John Ninian Comper, arguably one of the greatest of the Victorian Gothic Revival architects. Comper commissioned 7 designs from the company - Cathedral, Jay, Lily, Minster, Pear, St. Hubert and Van der Weyden. Happily, though most of these designs are currently unavailable from stock we still retain all the original artwork and they could be woven to order at any time.

The influence of the architects of the Gothic Revival movement of the 19th century (Gilbert Scott, Pugin, Bodley, Comper) was very profound and its influences are still to be found today in the designs favoured by churches throughout the UK and the USA. Designers of this period, and their followers, drew their inspiration from the works of the 15th Century Netherlandish painters such as Rogier Van der Weyden and Gerard David and the Venetian and Florentine painters such as Giovanni Bellini and Fra Angelico drawing inspiration from actual fabrics they found inside the houses and palaces of their patrons.

As well as local textile designs from Venice, Bologna, Florence, Milan and Lucca, fabrics from the Flemish textile centre of Brugge were also popular at this time with the Italian nobility and were thus incorporated into the portraits and commissions of the Netherlandish Painters.  This strong Italian/Flemish influence from the 15th Century can be seen in a number of Perkins designs today.

We would welcome you to browse through our range, and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.  We endeavour to be able to offer most of our products from stock for immediate despatch