CAMBRIDGE SATCHEL MEETS MORRIS & CO.

This October, two familiar names in British design come together as Cambridge Satchel joins forces with Morris & Co. for a limited edition collection celebrating the beauty of nature, the art of pattern and a shared appreciation for making things properly.

Founded in 1861 by William Morris and a circle of his Pre Raphaelite contemporaries, Morris & Co. began with an ambitious idea to bring beauty and craftsmanship back into everyday life. At a time when industrial production was changing the way Britain made things, Morris looked to traditional techniques, medieval design and, most importantly, the natural world.

His influence soon found its way into some of Britain's grandest interiors. Morris and his collaborators created the celebrated Green Dining Room at what was then the South Kensington Museum, now the V&A, and later contributed decorative schemes to rooms at St James's Palace.

Yet it is his patterns that have left the greatest impression. Morris found inspiration in the smallest details of the English countryside, including the cheeky thrushes that helped themselves to strawberries in the kitchen garden of his country home, Kelmscott Manor. Their antics inspired one of his most celebrated designs, Strawberry Thief, which remains a favourite more than a century later.

More than 160 years later, his designs remain as recognisable as ever.

For Cambridge Satchel, a brand with its own affection for British craftsmanship and traditional making, the partnership felt like a natural meeting of minds. Bringing together Morris & Co.'s celebrated patterns with the leatherwork of our UK workshop, the collection gives some of our best loved silhouettes a distinctly botanical new look.

A GARDEN OF PATTERNS

At the heart of the collection are three of Morris & Co.'s most recognisable designs, Strawberry Thief, Pimpernel and Honeysuckle.

Each has its own story, but all three share Morris's fascination with the natural world. Inspired by the gardens, hedgerows and countryside around him, these are patterns worth looking at twice. There is always another flower to spot, another leaf to follow or some small detail hiding amongst the foliage.

Strawberry Thief is one of Morris's most famous designs and certainly has the most entertaining origin. The pattern was inspired by the thrushes Morris watched helping themselves to strawberries in the kitchen garden of his countryside home. Instead of chasing away the culprits, he immortalised them in one of his best loved patterns.

Pimpernel takes a more elaborate approach. Large, curling leaves weave around delicate flowers, creating an intricate, almost hypnotic arrangement. There is a wonderful sense of movement to the design, with each stem leading the eye somewhere new.

Honeysuckle celebrates one of the most familiar sights of the British countryside. Its climbing stems, abundant leaves and delicate flowers capture the slightly unruly charm of an English garden, where nature has been allowed to have its own way.

Now, these celebrated designs find themselves somewhere new. Reimagined across Cambridge Satchel's signature leather styles, they bring a little of Morris's garden into everyday life, from the English countryside to wherever your satchel happens to be going next.

The limited edition Cambridge Satchel x Morris & Co. collection launches in October, online and in Cambridge Satchel stores.