Faber strikes partnership with Liberty London Fabrics

Faber has announced a “unique” publishing partnership with Liberty London Fabrics.

The collaboration will unite “the best writers in the world with one of the globe’s foremost design teams” to develop a series of books including fiction, non-fiction and poetry with a “beautiful capsule collection of titles each year”.

The designs will be drawn from a combination of Liberty’s new seasonal collection and its print archive and it will produce a bespoke print for one title every year. 

The partnership launches with a special fabric-bound edition of The Faber Book of Christmas, to be published on 5th October and edited by poet, biographer and playwright Simon Rae. The hardback anthology will includes stories, carols, prose and poetry and will include Charles Dickens, Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden and Wendy Cope and will retail at £20. The featured design, 'Citronella', is based on a classic tree-of-life-print, which includes citrus fruit and flower motifs.

Faber will use the design as part of its Christmas campaign and will produce special materials for the book trade.

The first title to have a “bespoke Liberty design” will be The Madonna of the Mountains by Elise Valmorbida, to be published in April 2018. The novel begins in 1923 and spans a family across three generations in Veneto, Italy, “in a deeply affecting account of one woman’s life and one woman’s war”. The hardback will retail at £12.99. Other titles will be announced in due course.

Faber c.e.o. Stephen Page described the partnership as “both natural and exciting”. He said: “Our two companies share a great sense of our own heritage, while we both strive to push cultural and aesthetic boundaries, setting the agenda rather than following it.”

Faber’s editorial director Louisa Joyner said: “Working with Liberty London Fabrics to establish an exclusive partnership has been that rare thing - a pleasure since its inception. Together we are creating books whose magnetic beauty reflects the quality of the works themselves.”

“Delving into the Liberty London Fabrics archives is the rarest of treats,” said Donna Payne, Faber’s creative director. “This collaboration between Faber and Liberty London Fabrics is a unique celebration of print design in all its forms and I greatly look forward to sharing the fruits of our labours.”

James Millar, design director at Liberty London Fabrics and Liberty London, praised the “synergy” between the two brands. He said: “We are really excited about the opportunity to combine Faber & Faber’s vast literary heritage with Liberty London’s dynamic legacy of print and fabric design.

"The synergy between these two iconic London companies feels truly authentic. It has been thrilling to translate works from Faber’s extensive archive into colourful book designs that reimagine heritage with a splash of modernity.”

The Liberty London store in London's Great Marlborough Street, is known for its print, fabrics and design, dating back from 1875.