{"product_id":"wespa-spangles-made-in-great-britain-norman-hartnell-archive","title":"WESPA Spangles - Made in Great Britain - Norman Hartnell Archive","description":"\u003cp\u003eCollector’s hanks of sequins with their original \u003cstrong\u003eWESPA Spangles\u003c\/strong\u003e tags, “Made in Great Britain” printed on the back. From the archive of Mollie Welch, tambour embroiderer in Norman Hartnell’s workroom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor collectors, not for stitching.\u003c\/strong\u003e These are museum-type pieces, to keep and display as rare survivors of British sequin making, with their tags still tied on. Loose British-made paillettes turn up now and then, but a whole tagged hank is something we have not found offered anywhere else.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWESPA was the trade mark of \u003cstrong\u003eArthur Weil Ltd\u003c\/strong\u003e, a spangle maker at 111 City Road, Cardiff, who advertised “spangles in all colours” at the 1947 British Industries Fair. The V\u0026amp;A holds a WeSpa sample card in its collection, dated 1940–1960.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe material:\u003c\/strong\u003e these sequins are unusually thick and glassy. They appear to be Perspex, the clear acrylic developed in Britain in the 1930s and best known as the material of aircraft cockpit canopies, including the Spitfire’s. The V\u0026amp;A records Perspex for its own WeSpa sample card too. Sequins made from it are almost never seen today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGold and silver, 10 threads, pink WESPA tag:\u003c\/strong\u003e two-faced spangles, gold on one side and silver on the other, so they change colour as they turn. The pink tag shows the firm used more than one label colour. Two hanks available.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlue-grey, 10 threads, WESPA tag:\u003c\/strong\u003e a deep blue-grey hank that shows its age, so please look closely at the photos. One hank only.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Embroideress Couture","offers":[{"title":"Blue-grey, 10 threads, WESPA tag","offer_id":56548152869243,"sku":"56548152869243","price":200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Gold and silver, 10 threads, pink WESPA tag","offer_id":56548175544699,"sku":"56548175544699","price":200.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/7906\/8204\/files\/39386.jpg?v=1793214778","url":"https:\/\/embroideresscouture.co.uk\/products\/wespa-spangles-made-in-great-britain-norman-hartnell-archive","provider":"Embroideress Couture ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}