Item HT 16998 Pillow Cases - Actil Designer Collection, Prue Acton, Blue & White Pattern, 1986

Summary

Pair of pillow cases, manufactured by Actil Ltd in Woodville, South Australia in 1986, based on a design by Australian fashion designer Prue Acton.

Established in Woodville, South Australia, in 1942, Australian Cotton Textile Industries (ACTIL), it initially played a vital role in the war effort, producing much needed cotton yarn for bandages, uniforms, overalls and towelling. After the war, it became the first company to produce Australian made sheets and pillowcases using local and overseas grown cotton. It was later acquired by Sheridan Australia, who still produced manchester under the Actil brand.

Physical Description

Two rectangular pillow case, made from white polyester/cotton blended fabric, with a blue/grey bird and floral pattern printed on the outside. Around the edge of both pillow cases is a polyester/cotton blended fabric frill with a blue/grey butterfly and floral pattern printed on it. The pair of pillow cases are enclosed in their original packaging, which consists of an irregular shaped cardboard label wrapped around the bottom edged of the cases, which is sealed inside clear plastic wrap. Information about the design, manufacture and care instructions for the pillow cases are printed on the cardboard label, along with a colour portrait of Prue Acton and a facsimile signature.

Significance

To capitalise on her reputation in as a designer, companies produced items bearing her name under licence. This set of pillow cases represents one of her designs for Australian manchester company Actil. She produced three designs for Actil in 1986 and 1987; each was used on a range of bed linen. Another manchester company, Sheridan Australia, also issued bed linen by prominent Australian designers, including Jenny Kee, Linda Jackson and Ken Done, around the same time.

The original designs were destroyed, along with most of the Actil and Sheridan archives, in a fire at Sheridan in Sydney in 1990.