The moquette
moquette was produced by Wallace & Sewell Ltd named ‘Barman’ 8 for Transport for London . This design makes use of five shades of blue, grey and red. This colour scheme is an intended by the designer to complement and continue the blue and red theme exhibited by the visual architecture of the floor, grab poles and walls. The design also includes graphical geometric shapes representing London landmarks such as the London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral. This shows how the moquette can be used to reflect the history and culture of the area the train operates in. The ‘Barman’ moquette’s art deco geometric shapes only suggest the vague form of the landmarks it represents. The forms are layered on top of and into each other, creating differing perspectives all subject to interpretation by the curious commuter. It is the unique design of this moquette, for example, which has led it to becoming such a recognizable icon of London design that merchandise pillows made from the same moquette are popular souvenirs. Naturally, the look of the moquette is governed by functional priorities, which include limiting the number of colours used to a manageable few and tessellating the pattern. The latter factor ensures that the material can be loomed as one long length without any awkward breaks. This is crucial to ensure the consistent form of the pattern which can be draped over any seat and achieve the desired quality. It is important to note that the same moquette material is almost always used on multiple different seat shapes and armrests, meaning that the design must be produced with each application in mind and therefore must not, for example, rely on lining up the pattern with the edge of a seat. Additionally, the design created must be pixelated to correspond to the different piles which are arranged in a grid corresponding to the holes in the backing. All these factors may seem like a nuisance to the design, yet they in fact aid and reaffirm the specification which the patterns should be designed for. A good moquette should have a pattern that is easily recognizable (yet not striking) and unique to the setting it is produced for. The pattern must be simple and elegant (reaffirmed by the low complexity required for pixelated designs); tessellation requires this. Aesthetically, the moquette has been found as the best choice for almost all low-distance forms of public transport for its often flawless visual interaction with the architecture and lighting of any vehicle while allowing for an individual and personalized design motif to perhaps reflect the transport mode or the history of the city in which it operates. Throughout its modest 100-year life the moquette has had to adapt to a constantly changing and developing railway and modern world. And where other textiles and more broadly practices wore down with age, the use of the moquette has stayed strong and has even accelerated, proving itself useful and adaptable. In the UK, all materials on metro railway systems are governed by the British Standard 6853:1999 Fire testing to railway components . 9 This legal requirement controls the risk that textiles may have on the safety of passengers in terms of ignition potential, total heat expelled and toxic fume release when ignited. The moquette pile is produced from roughly 85% wool and 15% nylon; the backing is usually 100% cotton. The low nylon content drastically decreases the potency of any harmful gases (and microplastics) released when ignited. On its own, the moquette’s pile (especially open pile) is low in density. As a result, it has a higher risk of ignition compared to other textiles. However, this disadvantage becomes beneficial during the manufacturing process where fire-retardant compounds are introduced to the textile. These diffuse very well into the loose pile and the cotton backing ensuring 8 Marshall G. (2024) ‘Meet Tube Moquette Designers - Wallace & Sewell’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrUWEcTjex8 . Consulted 13/08/25. 9 Firete ‘BS 6853:1999 British Standard’. https://www.firete.com/en/fire_standard/railway/161.html . Consulted 14/08/25.
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