Textile designer Molly Mahon talks about the hypnotic joy of block printing, the importance of artisanal craft and her latest product launch
When did you start your business and why? I have always had a creative spirit and felt an emotive and deep-rooted response to colour and pattern, which has been a constant draw for me in many areas of my life. But it wasn’t until I was at home with my two young children that I started thinking about how I could build this passion into a business. I tried my hand at a printing course in Sussex and very vividly remember this amazing feeling when I settled into the rhythm of block printing and could see firsthand its beautiful, nuanced detail. The immediate and joyful burst of bold colour and decorative detail was so enthralling that I just felt I wanted to find my own way with this craft. I started at the table at home, trying my hand at carving blocks, but it wasn’t until a friend actually bought some of my work that I really took the step of starting the business.

What is the appeal of block printing? Block printing is the most wonderful physical form of creativity as well as being a means to create important, beautiful and practical items for our homes. There is this sense of an almost hypnotic and certainly rhythmic state that block printing creates, which I always love to observe when we host our workshops. There is almost a reverential hush that falls over the room as all focus centres on the hand. I love its nuances, the imperfections that to me make it so unique and rewarding, every touch of the block has a very slight difference which makes every piece truly one of a kind.
As well as fabrics and wallpapers, you create homewares and even prints for Boden. Is it important to you to have a diverse product offering? The collections of fabrics and wallpaper are very much at the core of what we do at Molly Mahon, they allow the creativity and beauty of block printing to really sing and can transform a space. The homewares we produce which include cushions, quilts and tableware, I always think of as an easy entry point, offering a wonderful way to layer different block prints together and really enjoy a joyous mix of colour and pattern. I also am very inspired working with other brands and creatives; collaborations always present exciting ways to deliver what we do through a new medium.
As the company has grown, are you still involved in the design process? I am completely immersed in the design process – from the initial planning stages of gathering inspiration for a collection and developing ideas into patterns to working through our Molly Mahon colour palette of bold and joyful shades to ensure each print is evocatively brought to life. I also spend a lot of time at our wonderful block print studio in Delhi, overseeing the production and catching up with our dedicated team of craftspeople.

Your textiles are hand printed in India. Is it important to nurture these traditional craft skills? It is completely integral – India is where most of the Molly Mahon magic happens. Once I’ve handed over my pencil-drawing design to the carver, he recreates it in wood, always adding his own artistry and making his own mark on the block. (I’d so love to say, by the way, that we push for more female recruits, but we also have to respect the Indian culture and that both men and women largely seem to prefer that block printing remains a man’s world.)
Meanwhile, the cloth-weavers in the south ofIndia create the base cloth, which is then taken by the delivery guys to Delhi where the amazing colour technician mixes the paint colour by eye (after I’ve given them a snippet of cloth featuring my dream colour). The cloth is then painstakingly hand-block-printed with these gorgeous colours, then dried in the sun, washed, ironed and shipped. There’s so much more to the end result than just my input – it’s why we really see it as a Molly Mahon team effort and why it’s so important to us that the wellbeing of every person on our team is respected.
I love that block printing has been around for thousands of years and that all that has really changed are the colours and designs, so that it works for today’s tastes. I love that each piece of cloth that passes through our block printers’ hands has been made with the same tools and techniques as those of thousands of years ago.

Tell me about your latest product launch. Why have you added fabric tapes to the collection? It just felt like a very natural next step and I was very much drawn to the versatility of fabric tapes (a selection shown above) and how they can be applied anywhere and everywhere to great effect. From a creative flourish adorning furniture, doorways, cushions, blinds and curtains to design elements on lampshades and headboards, personalising and adding character to ready-made furniture or incorporating into upholstery, there are unbounded possibilities. And these aren’t limited to embellishment just for fabrics, they can be added to walls too – add above skirting, along a dado rail or to frame panelling. They are a fantastic way to delineate architectural details or to finish off a wallpapered or fabric lined room. Small in stature, I really wanted these hand-crafted tapes to create a big decorative impact, adding a delightful touch of vibrant, artisanal charm wherever they are applied.
If you enjoyed this, you might also like my conversation with wallpaper designer Fiona Howard