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It’s always dangerous to define a particular period as a ‘golden age’ but there is something special about post-war textiles – particularly for women designers. In the 1950s and 1960s, Britain was a world leader in the field and three women led the movement: Lucienne Day, Jacqueline Groag and Marian Mahler.

London’s Fashion and Textile Museum’s exhibition ‘Designing Women’ is dedicated to these pioneers who combined art and manufacturing to alter the direction of the modern design industry.

Textile design changed radically after the Second World War. These three British women transformed the drab colours and clothing of the war years with fresh, progressive designs. The exhibition explores their work, beginning with Lucienne Day’s “Calyx” of 1951, featured at the Festival of Britain through to textile commissions of the 60s and 70s.

These textile designs, with bold abstract pattern and saturated colour, were a dramatic departure from conventional furnishing fabrics. This new wave of bold patterns helped to bring the influences of the art world into the contemporary home.

The mid-century pursuit of fresh and provocative designs is reflected in the work of other women designers who produced popular textiles of the period. The work of Paule Vézelay, Mary Warren and Mary White is also included in the exhibition. Together they present a brand of British modernism whose broad appeal is still relevant to domestic interiors today. The success of fairs such as Mid Century Modern, where people flock to buy collectable textiles and furniture of the period, testify to the era’s enduring appeal. Designing Women: Post-war British Textiles, 16 March16 June 2012, Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1, www.ftmlondon.org. The Midcentury Show, Sunday 27th May 2012, North Gate, Wellington Place, Lords Cricket Ground, St John's Wood, London NW8 8QN, http://modernshows.com s e l v e d g e . o r g