The Block Hut was started in spring 2018 by Amy McPhail who decided to follow her dream of designing her own range of handmade, block printed textiles.
Amy arrived at The Block Hut via studying Textile Design at Leeds University and working for two of the UK’s leading fabric suppliers, Zimmer and Rohde UK and Andrew Martin.
Having fallen in love with India (the colour, the chai, the pattern, the madness, the dahl, the list goes on!) at the age of twenty-one whilst backpacking around the country with an old friend, Amy decided she would love to design her own fabric range. In addition to this, it would be a great excuse to keep returning to the country that she loved! Ten years on, after many trips back to India, plans were put into place and The Block Hut venture began.
Using some simple geometric patterns, which were extracted from her work at university, Amy took the leap and sent them over to block carvers in Jaipur. She wanted to use the traditional technique of block printing but the designs were to have a contemporary look. The original plan was pyjamas, however during sampling Amy noticed that they leant themselves to homewares too – in a matter of days the first range of napkins were born!
Block printing is an ancient form of textile printing which originates in Jaipur and The Block Hut takes pride in supporting these highly skilled craftsmen and their impressive processes (rather than relying on mass-producing machinery). The Block Hut operates together with an experienced and inspiring printer whose family have been in the industry for generations. To see these artists at work is an amazing sight.
The Block Hut is delighted to launch its first collection of loungewear, homeware and stationery. We are already working on a few new products and they will be on their way soon…