In Praise of the Stripe

At JOYIA LIVING we love a good stripe!  But where did the mighty stripe for decoration originate? 
 
Stripes occur quite widely in the natural world – think majestic tigers, zebras, striped hyenas, gloriously crested hoopoe birds and a multitude of tropical reef fish.  And it is not just animals. The plant world is filled with variegated foliage. 
 
So it’s not difficult to imagine our cavemen ancestors sporting a variety of striped animal pelts as clothing and potentially also using them for rugs, bedding and so on. Neanderthal Chic anyone?  These bold stripey pelts offered probably one of the earliest forms of human and home decoration.
 
As humans developed tools and the skills of crafting, weaving was born – the earliest human-produced stripe is likely to have been a natural accident of the variation in the colour of yarns used to weave.
 
Curiously, stripes haven’t always been fashionable – in fact during the European Middle Ages they took on a rather more serious meaning, a symbol of social exclusion and often associated with those on edges the of society, jesters, prisoners and even ladies of the night.
 
But it is this duality of stripes that has remained so appealing, all the way into the 21^st century.  Whether it is their association with Victorian seaside scenes of long summer dresses, or the Breton stripe so synonymous with mariners and sailing, through to the classic pinstripe suite, the humble stripe has transcended fashion and become a design classic. 
 
Stripes are infinitely versatile.  They can be neutral. Colourful. Fine. Chunky. Irregular and rough. Or crisp and linear.  They can make objects appear taller, wider depending on their orientation – a magic trick of the eye.
 
In celebration of the stripe, we’ve created our own bold Stripe pattern expressed in a variety of colours and neutrals across a range of objet for you and your home.  Perfect for summer living and living with JOYIA.

With love

JOYIA LIVING