Bernat Klein
Bernat Klein CBE (6 November 1922 – 17 April 2014) was a Serbian textile designer and painter. Based in Scotland, Klein supplied textiles to haute couture designers in the 1960s and 1970s, and later sold his own clothing collections. Biography Klein was born in 1922 in Senta, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1940 he attended the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, and then moved on to the University of Leeds, England, where he studied textile technology from 1945. He was employed by various textile companies in England and Scotland, until 1952 when he established Colourcraft (Gala) Ltd. This comprised a weaving centre in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, producing rugs and other items which were sold at the company's own shop in Edinburgh. He created innovative textiles, building up trade with producers such as Marks and Spencer. In 1962, Coco Chanel chose Klein's mohair tweed womenswear textiles for her 1963 spring/summer collection, which led to greater exposure and further sales to couture houses in the US and Europe including Dior, Balenciaga, Pierre Cardin and Saint Laurent. The company was renamed Bernat Klein Limited, and a major stake in the business was acquired by a subsidiary of