An unsightly building in Tel Aviv became an unlikely catalyst for a change in Celia Gould’s life.
“I was taking my daughter to nursery in Tel Aviv centre and noticed the city hall – a rectangular 60s block with a mish mash of square, odd coloured windows, some falling apart. The façade was ugly but really attracted me. I took a photo from the car window and thought it would make a brilliant textile print!”
Since moving to the high adrenaline Middle Eastern city in 2010 when husband Matthew became UK ambassador to Israel, Celia’s time had been occupied with juggling family life and diplomatic hosting. Photography became a welcome creative outlet.
“There were chunks of the day when nothing was scheduled. I started travelling round with my camera to fascinating places like Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem. I took pictures constantly when I was young but university life, followed by a city career, left me little spare time. I was excited to be looking through a lens again and got involved with the 365 project taking photographs daily – it’s a great discipline and makes you consider angles and light more carefully. I was building up a serious catalogue of photos and friends started encouraging me to do something with the images. I wasn’t interested in reproducing portraits on canvas – to me architecture had more potential, especially printed on silk as scarves. When I saw the city hall, I just had to look into fabric printing possibilities.”
Celia spent the next year researching printers and after early production runs in China and India (the hand hemming was unsurpassable but orders needed to be large) she switched to a skilful printer in Como, Italy, while creating her own designs, as well as developing a logo and packaging.
“The brand is about travel and adventure – it’s a boho thing. I see the world through colour combinations, shapes, textures and patterns!”
Celia’s scarves in exquisite silks were snapped up initially by friends and embassy guests in Israel and are now in demand worldwide.
“The French prefer weighty silks, especially twills (think Hermes) and squares are popular. Italians go for colour and detail in design and adore diaphanous chiffon fabrics.”
The scarf choices are dictated by the photographs. There are designs taken from Jerusalem rooftops, Indian temples, Burmese and Swiss lakes and mountains, Milan flats, Tel Aviv? airport escalators, an Oxford crossroads and a Cornish beach.
“Some work better than others. I love urban images. – Once I was in Cairo on the way to the Pyramids when I spotted a massive apartment block. It was unattractive with air con units and satellite dishes but had amazing muted colours and pattern – imperfections are part of beauty and photographs should show every flaw. I don’t believe in Photoshopping things out.”
Other favourite designs of Celia’s are her graphic Burmese script scarf and Downtown Rangoon building. But the latest range in development has some likely contenders, one shows Tuscan terracotta medieval buildings around Siena’s famous Piazza del Campo, another, vibrant coloured Contrada emblems displayed at Siena’s Palio, the biannual bareback Horse Race.
Since returning to the UK in 2016 and settling in Sarratt, Hertfordshire, Celia’s scarf business has really flourished.
“I never intended it to be a business, it was an experiment that picked up momentum.”
And it’s still moving forward at a pace, running as smoothly as silk.
Celia Gould scarves range from £65 – £165
Available from www.celiagould.co.uk