Wallace Sewell wins TfL moquette competition

Wallace Sewell has won £5000 in the competition to design a new Tube seat fabric, also known as moquette.

Entrants to the competition – which launched last August – were tasked with creating a fabric design that would be practical and contemporary, that would not be too jazzy or complicated, and that would not have too large a repeat pattern.

Wallace Sewell says the starting point for its winning design was London landmarks, which were turned into abstract primary shapes like circles, triangles and squares.

Richard Parry, strategy and commercial director for London Underground, says, ‘We chose the Wallace Sewell entry because it captures the spirit of London. Quality design has always played a very important role at London Underground and this distinctive pattern reflects our corporate brand perfectly.’

He adds, ‘The standard was extremely high, but this unusual seating fabric – which is practical, attractive and economical – met the very tight design brief on every level.’

As part of the TfL investment programme the fabric will be used on refurbished Central Line trains from the middle of 2011, and other new trains where possible.