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A new collaboration between textile expert Kvadrat and iconic British designer Peter Saville brings together field and factory, contrasting natural wool tones with pops of colour inspired by the spray-painted markings found on flocks throughout the country

- ROSA BERTOLI

While travelling around the British countryside, chances are you will come across a flock of colourful sheep in a field at some point in your journey. A familiar sight for country folks, and a vibrant surprise for others, smit marks – the spraypainted patches on the sheep – are commonly used by shepherds in the UK to identify animals in their herd. The chromatic custom is also the starting point for Peter Saville’s Technicolour collection of upholstery textiles, rugs and curtains created in collaboration with Kvadrat.

Saville grew up visiting the countryside with his family, and developed a fascination with what he calls ‘rural graffiti’. ‘I’ve always seen the spray can as something modern, because it’s a technological development. There’s something very pop about it. So when I saw sheep sprayed, I thought, that’s kind of pop,’ he says. One of the most celebrated British graphic designers, Saville is best known as a co-founder of music label Factory Records in 1978, and for album covers for the likes of Joy Division and New Order. But his impact on popular culture stretched much further over the years, as he served as creative director for the city of Manchester, and worked with a plethora of fashion clients on advertising and brand identity.