Career
Tricia Guild established Designers Guild, in 1970 whilst searching for textiles to decorate with. By re-colouring a collection of Indian hand-block printed textiles, the first collection was established. She opened her store on the Kings Road with her first collection of fabrics, also selling ceramics and furniture. In 1974 she started working with artists such as Kaffe Fassett, Lilian Delavoryas and Janice Tchalenko, amongst others...
Throughout the 1990s Guild focused her attention on expanding the range as Designers Guild grew in the UK and overseas. The flagship store and showroom are situated on the Kings Road, London and include a showroom devoted entirely to fabrics, wall coverings, furniture and paint.
In the 1980s the company’s reputation started to build. Tricia’s brother Simon Jeffreys, who was in corporate finance with Coopers & Lybrand, joined the company as Chief Executive, in partnership with Founder and Creative Director, Tricia Guild. In 1985 DG turnover was £3.0m and now in 2010 it has grown to over £50m with over 250 staff and offices and showrooms in London, Paris, Munich and Milan and a 66,000 sq ft (6,100 m2) distribution centre in West London.
Today Designers Guild exports to over 60 different countries and won the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement in 1991 and 1996. A licensing division has been developed into product areas which include upholstered furniture, paint, bedlinen and towels as well as stationery and home fragrance. A new division was also set up to produce and manufacture fabrics and wallcoverings under license to further utilise the Designers Guild sales and distribution network.
Designers Guild also produces under licence The Royal Collection of Fabrics and Wallpapers, William Yeoward Fabric and Wallpaper and Jasper Conran Fabric. They are also the distributor for Ralph Lauren Home throughout Europe and the Middle East. Designers Guild launched their new website and UK online shop in March 2008 to promote their brand online. They also created an interactive fabric and wallpaper library on the website, and customer scrapbook facility with an aim to maximise business opportunities. The USA online shop was launched in 2009, offering their full range of home accessories to the US market.
Guild was awarded an OBE for services to interior design.
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