Percy Grainger: Composer, arranger, pianist, and… clothing designer?

As it turns out, yes. For several years, the composer of Lincolnshire Posy and Molly on the Shore proudly created and wore his own wardrobe- made out of towels! In his words (from “Towel Clothes legend” written by Percy Grainger for the Grainger Museum):

“Around 1910 (after we both had been fired by the beauty of Maori and South Sea island clothes and fabrics seen in museums in New Zealand and Australia) my mother mooted the idea of clothes made of Turkish towels – cool in summer, warm in the winter, and washable at all times.”

See more photos of Grainger’s unique fashion designs here.