The enduring appeal of Transport for London’s seat designs

This year, Transport for London – or TfL – turns 25. Some commuters probably feel like they have aged double that in the same stretch of time. It might have given us the Oyster card, the Hopper fare and the Lizzy Line, but it’s not always been plain railing on the transport network of Europe’s most congested city. Especially when you’re inhaling a miasma of metallic particles and enduring ear-perforating, gear-grinding screeching every morning.

Something, though, continues to delight art anoraks whenever we board or alight a bus, train or Tube in London: the designs of the seats. As true trainspotters will know, the thick fabric used for transport upholstery is termed moquette – an old French word for carpet. It’s traditionally crafted from 85 per cent wool mixed with 15 per cent nylon, using a Jacquard loom to create intricate patterns.

The earliest moquette commissioned for the capital’s trains was an archetypal art deco design from Firth Furnishings Limited (whimsically titled ‘Lozenge’) woven in brown, fawn and blue. Then, when London Transport (as it was then) was formed in the 1930s, artists and designers got on board, collaborating with the manufacturers to create distinctive motifs; the likes of Marianne Straub, Douglas Scott and Enid Marx have all worked on their own versions over the decades.

More recently, in 2008, TfL commissioned textile design duo Wallace Sewell for the first time. The result was the 2008 Overground moquette, criss-crossing midcentury browns and oranges to exude a distinctly 1970s earthiness. Later, the pair worked on ‘Barman’ (the instantly recognisable blue Victoria Line design turning London landmarks into abstract primary shapes) and the simply labelled ‘Elizabeth Line Moquette’ (a purple pinstripe pattern used to create a sense of speed).

Increasingly, though, moquette is jumping out of our seats. In February 2025, TfL launched its Fabric of London campaign, showcased on Outernet London’s gigantic LED screens. Inspired by seating fabric patterns of the past, it features an immersive digital moquette and animations of a diverse array of Londoners, reflecting the city’s rich cultural tapestry.

It follows The Fabric of Time, a new collage by artist Rita Keegan featured on the 40th pocket Tube map cover. Drawing on Keegan's research into female moquette designers of the past, it constructs a grid from ten archive seat designs. ‘I was spoilt for choice but there were certain ones that appealed to my design sensibilities,’ she says. Superimposed is an old photo of the artist in her thirties at Brixton station. Look closer, and you notice that Keegan is, impossibly, holding a recent selfie of her current self, aged 76; a fleeting blur of past and present.

TfL seems to be cashing in on this newfound cultural cachet. Last November, the local government authority partnered with Sony to install a Playstation-inspired moquette on the Victoria Line, complete with ‘Start’ and ‘Finish’ emblems. Back in 2022, Arsenal launched a pre-match kit inspired by the Piccadilly Line.

The world of fashion is also alight with moquette inspiration. Welsh designer Adam Jones, known for his bar-towel sweaters and quintessentially British references, recently used the Overground design for a red carpet look. ‘Jack Rooke (creator of comedy Big Boys) came to me with an idea of making a suit for him for the BAFTAs using the pattern, so I made one using the mohair blankets from the TfL museum shop,’ Jones says, hinting that he’s going to go further for his upcoming collection.

Previously, Nike revived Misha Black's 1978 moquette for a limited-edition pair of trainers in 2013, and streetwear brand Done emblazoned the Victoria Line motif on a range of jackets in 2022. And while there’s no concrete evidence of inspiration, Gucci’s illusionary geometric prints and Burberry’s reimagined checks of the past few years aren’t a million miles away from moquette.

It’s not just London leading the charge. See the incredibly popular I Don't Give a Seat, an Instagram account created by French director Julien Potart followed by 145,000 enthusiasts, featuring retro transport seat patterns from across the world: recent highlights include a trippy digital camo from Düsseldorf, a contour line motif from Angers and a puzzle piece design from Bontida.

But what makes moquette such a worthy muse for artists and designers? To some Tube seat critics, the garish geometric aesthetic makes for hideous viewing. They are, after all, purposefully clashing to mask all sorts of stains left by careless commuters. For enthusiasts, though, the seats are a sight for sore eyes; they are charmingly kitsch and refreshingly loud in a world of muted minimalism. ‘It's like when you're on a train, you experience a rhythm. It's a beautiful design, simple but complex,’ Keegan says of Joy Jarvis’ 1947 ‘Roundel’ pattern, featured in Fabric of Time.

For designers, the fabric, too, is a joy. It’s velvety, durable and insulates well. And it’s almost entirely natural, with only a little nylon added for resilience to help the seats withstand wear-and-tear. No wonder you can buy it by the metre online, ideal for a keen upcycler or upholsterer with their own tunnel vision (the TfL shop also regularly runs out of socks, scarves and ties).

Most interesting, though, are the stories stitched into every thread; woven into every design is an experience of London. ‘It's full of history, especially as it’s no longer used,’ Jones says of the archive District Line design. ‘I love to think about who might have sat on that pattern and what they were doing or where they were going; it ties into this nostalgia I have for the past and the 1970s in particular.’

Seen this way, moquette is a gateway to the past, a shared heirloom transporting us back to liminal moments spent on the Tube, weaving together our experiences. ‘It's about the connection to London. It’s our journey. You work, rest and play. Living in a metropolis means you take advantage of that. You're going out, you're going to work and you're coming back [on the train], so it's linked with the textures of life,’ Keegan says.

Ultimately, the moquettes are an exemplary fusion of form and function. ‘They were designed for a specific purpose and they actually fulfilled it. I love them. They're fabulous. You want your journey to take you somewhere and the moquette designs do,’ Keegan says.

And with the trend cycle ever-revolving and constantly reinventing imagery of the past, we can expect more artists to take our seats and turn them into masterpieces in the very near future. Last year’s coquette aesthetic is, perhaps, ready to change into the moquette aesthetic.

The London Transport Museum shop sells moquette furniture and cushions, ltmuseumshop.co.uk/furniture