The Cole & Son x Vivienne Westwood collection brings tartans, squiggles, roses and leopard print from the catwalk on to the wall. In this guide we run through all eight designs, the fashion history behind each one, and practical ideas for using them in your home.
About the Collaboration
Cole & Son has been making wallpaper for over 150 years; Vivienne Westwood reshaped British fashion with fearless prints. The collection features eight designs across 31 colourways, all designed and printed in Great Britain, with traditional Cole & Son finishes such as strié and moiré. Every pattern comes straight from the Vivienne Westwood archive, so each one has a real story attached, which is half the fun of choosing.
The Tartans: MacAndreas and Draped Tartan
MacAndreas Tartan combines a signature from each house: Cole & Son's Jaspe strié and a Vivienne Westwood tartan. Vivienne designed the MacAndreas with the Scottish weavers Lochcarron as a homage to her husband and design partner, Andreas Kronthaler. As a wallpaper it is wonderfully cosy in a study, snug or dining room, especially with dark woodwork and wool or velvet upholstery.
Draped Tartan is the more theatrical partner. Designers from both houses set out to create an expansive panel design: if MacAndreas is the fabric, Draped Tartan is the gown. It was inspired by the famous taffeta gown worn by Kate Moss in a Vivienne Westwood Autumn-Winter collection. Use it as a single dramatic wall behind a bed or at the end of a hallway, and keep the other walls plain so the folds can take centre stage.
Prints with a Punk Edge
Rainforest Squiggle is a free-flowing take on the Squiggle print, first seen in Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's debut catwalk collection, Pirate, in 1981. This version first appeared in the Autumn-Winter 2014/15 Gold Label Save the Rainforest collection. It is a lively, all-over pattern that works brilliantly in a cloakroom or a teenager's bedroom.
Hand-Painted Leopard draws on more than four decades of animal print at the house, from the oversized leopard of the Spring-Summer 1989 Civilizade collection to the bright red version for Autumn-Winter 1992/93 Always On Camera. Leopard is surprisingly easy to live with: treat it as a neutral and pair it with black, brass and deep red.
True-Punk Stripe subverts the classic stripe. The painted stripe appeared in the 1980s, often in the background or overprinted in punk-era designs, and has more recently featured on oversized shirting. It is a clever choice if you want something more characterful than a regency stripe in a hallway or landing.
The Softer Side: Roses, Thistles and Love Letters
Absence of Roses Moiré is a print synonymous with the Vivienne Westwood house. It was first seen as an illustrative rose in the Spring-Summer 1994 Gold Label Café Society collection, and the original Roses print was inspired by the botanical painter Pierre-Joseph Redouté. The moiré finish gives it a gentle shimmer, lovely in a bedroom or dressing room.
Soft Thistle nods to the house's affinity with Scotland. The regal milk thistle is abstracted and its angular edges softened with muted colour, so it suits calmer rooms and pairs naturally with the tartans in an adjoining space.
Vivienne Love Andreas is the most personal design. The V Love A print was hand-painted by Vivienne herself and first appeared in the Autumn-Winter 2022/23 Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood La Nouvelle Eve collection, shown in the Belle Époque revue theatre of the same name in Montmartre.
How to Use the Collection at Home
- Start small if you're nervous: a cloakroom, alcove or the back of a bookcase is a low-risk way to try Leopard or Squiggle.
- Let one pattern lead: pair a bold paper with plain walls in a colour lifted from the design.
- Mix the collection: MacAndreas in a hall with Soft Thistle in the room beyond gives a joined-up, Scottish-inflected scheme.
- Layer texture: rich velvets, natural wood, brass and marble all sit well alongside these designs.
Find Your Design
Browse the full Cole & Son x Vivienne Westwood collection, or see more from Cole & Son. If you'd like advice on colourways or quantities, visit us in Somerset or contact the team.
