Bernat Klein, textile designer and artist, and a Heriot-Watt honorary graduate, has died aged 91.
Professor Alison Harley, Creative Director for Heriot-Watt's School of Textiles and Design, said, "Bernat Klein designed and produced some of the most beautiful textiles of the 20th century. As an artist, colourist, textile designer and industrialist, his use of colour and yarn exploration was the basis of his design process and experimentation, resulting in industrially produced woven textiles throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
"Klein's practice as an artist and his natural sense of colour is integral to the character of his cloth, and its distinctive place in the collections and archives of Chanel, Dior and Yves St Laurent.
"In the early days of his business and working out of basic surroundings, Klein had recognized the opportunity to open up the luxury market in post-war Britain. Building on his success Klein was able to buy his own mill for production, the High Mill now home to the Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design. The University Archive also holds a collection of textiles produced by Klein that are still inspirational in their innovation and provenance.
"We were delighted that Bernat accepted an honorary degree from Heriot-Watt in 2003, and we were working with him still in his 91st year as a great creative mind. It was a privilege to know him."