Bute and SCP Launch
Spring Collection in Milan

April 1998

Bute, the modern upholstery fabric manufacturer from Scotland's Western Isles and international contemporary furniture maker SCP, have joined forces on a new Anglo-Scottish furniture/fabric collaboration at this spring's Milan Furniture Fair. SCP's reputation in Britain for well-designed and distinctive furniture is second to none and this year a new collection by some of SCP's best known designers has been developed specially to showcase the potential of the wool and wool-rich textiles that are Bute's speciality.

SCP's collection will consist of five pieces. pH, Jasper Morrison's simple dining chair used in the new Pharmacy restaurant is upholstered in Iona, a restrained marl-effect worsted textile. The expressive lines of Hoop, Tom Dixon's stainless steel framed chaise longue are set off by Rhum, a chunky retro textile. Each of the other three pieces, all sofas, has a distinct character and upholstery to match. Joe, Terence Woodgate's design, all refined lines and stripped-back elegance, is covered in a distinctive colourway of Elgin, a simple worsted crepe fabric, while the streamlined curves of Matthew Hilton's Auden and Andrew Stafford's Ambrosia sofas will be complemented by Jura and Tiree respectively, both heavy bouclé fabrics. SCP and Bute launch all five models in April at Europe's most prestigious furniture fair in Milan.

The Milan launch marks the climax of an unusual collaboration between the executives and designers of two forward-thinking management teams that began last spring. Based on the island of the same name in the Clyde estuary, Bute has been weaving top-quality woollen upholstery at its state-of-the-art Rothesay factory for more than 20 years. Its sophisticated textiles, created with the help of retained Design Consultant Peter Seipelt, are already widely used by the world's top office 'system furniture' makers but the company was convinced they could also appeal to a much wider public.

With this in mind, last summer Bute invited Sheridan Coakley, SCP's owner and five of its leading designers to the island to work alongside Bute's Designer and Product Development Manager Catherine Murray on an in-depth critique of the company's current ranges and future plans. Input from the SCP designers has fed directly into the new look of the fabric collections designed by Murray and Seipelt and introduced earlier this year. Two new designs - Pentland, a fine crepe and Dumfries, a worsted pattern - are available in a vastly extended palette of bright and contemporary shades and the colours of Bute's existing textile collection have also been revitalised. For example, Tiree, a fabric in a fleecy bouclé weave that is proving to be the upholstery look of the moment will be available in 18 rich, new colours from this April.

Alongside its product relaunch, Bute is changing its corporate image too, signalling its updated personality with a fresh and stylish corporate identity designed by Studio Myerscough.

Russell Watkins, Marketing Director, is pleased with the stir that Bute's new strategy is causing. 'SCP and its designers have created a showcase for our new fabrics and because they have their finger on the pulse they've also worked with our design team to update the colour palette,' he says. 'Their input has helped guide us into new markets and to create new designs that appeal to a style conscious public.'

Sheridan Coakley, often a lone pioneer in modern British furniture production over the past decade, is also happy to have found a kindred spirit. 'Companies that produce good quality woven upholstery fabrics are hard to find,' he says. 'Bute's been a well-kept secret for too long. To turn up a company in this country that's prepared to invest in design is good for us and for everyone who believes in contemporary British talent.'