Years before, Ralph Lauren chose traditional English transferware for the tables at his 50th-anniversary dinner this past fall; the fashion designer was a fan of the exuberantly printed china. His brand of choice, Burleigh, has been sold in Ralph Lauren boutiques, stocked at his restaurants in London and Paris and put to use at the Lauren family’s private residences. Like so many of Lauren’s fascinations, Burleigh has a long history: The pottery dates back to 1851. Now the two companies have partnered on a tableware collection.
In January, Ralph Lauren x Burleigh will launch with three patterns—a vintage-inspired floral, a swirl of garden vines and a starry sky that recalls a popular RRL bandanna design. Each is available in lustrous black or indigo blue and decorates a passel of products, from teapots and coffee mugs to fruit bowls and dinner plates. All the forms have been sourced from Burleigh’s prodigious archive in Stoke-on-Trent, the centre of Britain’s ceramics industry.
For Lauren, Burleigh’s appeal goes well beyond aesthetics. “I have always been inspired by the tradition of craftsmanship handed down from one artist to another over time,” the designer says. “Burleigh has been doing this for nearly 200 years, and this is why I was excited to collaborate on a collection that celebrates both artisanal pottery and American style.”
Transferware had its origins in the mid–18th century when hand-painted Chinese porcelain was all the rage in Britain. Printing onto clay made embellished crockery affordable to a broader audience. Not that the process has ever been hands-free; workers engrave patterns onto metal rollers, press out the designs onto paper and transfer them exactingly, if not always perfectly, by hand-rubbing them onto the fired shapes. Once the paper is removed, it is fired, given a clear overglaze and fired again to set the decoration.
Burleigh is now a rarity; by its own account, it’s the only factory in the world still using so-called underglaze tissue printing. In 2011, Prince Charles stepped in to fund essential repairs to the company’s factory through the Prince’s Regeneration Trust. The collaboration with Ralph Lauren is welcome recognition of the company’s artistry, says Jim Norman, Burleigh’s commercial director. Like his new American partner, he sees the value in old ways. “Every piece is different,” he says of Burleighware. “It’s the imperfections that make them so characterful.”
Some favourites from the collection include:
The Faded Peony Print is a beautiful array of floral, and it’s available in three colour options: Indigo, green, or black. Each collection piece is a one-of-a-kind collectible and can be used for years to come because of how classic the prints are. The Faded Peony collection has 15 parts, including dinner plates, bowls, pitchers, and trays. Best of all, this beautiful line is dishwasher and microwave safe.
Having a warm glass of coffee, cocoa, or tea during the fall season is a must-have. The Faded Peony Mug is a perfect way to have a budget-friendly piece from this line. It’s also a very functional piece because it can be used daily.