Meet The Tube Moquette Designer

Meet the man who designs Tube Seats Moquettes! This is the lovely Paul Marchant who sat down with me on an old 'C' Stock train at the LTM Acton Depot to tell me how the design process works when coming up with moquette patterns for Tubes, Buses, and more ...
If you liked this video, you'll love Andrew Martin's book "Seats of London" which is available here : www.amazon.co....
Thanks to the London Transport Museum Acton Depot : www.ltmuseum.c...
Camera : Tim Chung

[@NR-fg2qc]

I can't help but admire how fashionable this dude is. He's cool through and through.

[@geirmyrvagnes8718]

Stylish. Also: You can't be an industrial designer without those glasses. 🤓

[@uingaeoc3905]

No socks and no tie, yeah 'stylish'. PPhhhwwaarrpppp!

[@danwooller6101]

You can't throw a stick without hitting a Creative Director just like him in the advertising industry.

[@eadweard.]

Yeah he looks fresh as, tbf.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Those glasses are how you know he's an expert of design.

[@Rubycon99]

I love the way the energy ramps up when an interviewee picks up on how genuinely interested the interviewer is.

[@icetea3647]

22min of raw TfL energy, design and London history. One of your best ones Geoff!

[@geofftech2]

most kind, thank you! we spoke for a LOT longer, but i cut it down to 22 minutes!

[@icetea3647]

@@geofftech2 I am sure you would have content for a couple of hours :) Greetings from Berlin

[@cazharris5581]

@@geofftech2 A bonus video of the bits cut out would be good.

[@elroyvanderley6460]

@@geofftech2 I could watch this for 22 hours!

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

Raw TfL energy😂

[@geofftech2]

Some bonus facts - the new Piccadilly Line moquette is called "Holden" named after Charles Holden. The working name of the Barman moquette by Wallace & Sewell was actually "Landmarks" until TfL renamed it. And the moquette for the new DLR trains is called "Poplar".

[@DavidShepheard]

Re: "And the moquette for the new DLR trains is called "Poplar"." Clearly the rejected prototype DLR moquettes need to be called "Unpoplar". 😜

[@83838four]

should of been called 'Beckton' to fit the 'B' on the DLR stocks

[@Ro99]

@@83838four well I guess there’s always a next one in however many years that may hopefully get that name.

[@sarahjoyholden7856]

My Dad always said Grandad had a bike. We Holdens do get about. Holden, though, is a northern surname

[@isashax]

Why is it called Barman?

[@GreenJimll]

That was a great conversation. And will also hopefully be useful to teachers and University lecturers to show their students how industrial design can be used to make a subtle impact on many peoples' lives without most of them even noticing. What a top chap. 🙂

[@LasseGreiner]

He is so sincere and focused on his impact it is painful and heartwarming at the same time. Thanks for the passion and caring on the outcome!

[@kiradotee]

This is one of those things where if you've done a great job nobody will/should notice it. 😂

[@i.gaskoid]

What an utterly delightful collaboration. Great interview, Geoff -- I really enjoyed how you asked Paul such interesting leading questions

[@geofftech2]

thanks Amy, very kind!

[@SKI_2.0]

When are you going to Watford for end of the line?

[@annakissed3226]

Thankyou for all of this. You were both utterly wonderful. This is exactly why KZbin is amazing, the ability & time to deep dive into all the complexity that makes up modern life. It's at times like these I wish I had been 40+ years later, so I had you rather than open university to watch when I was a kid

[@cjayos7654]

What a wonderful video. 22 minutes and 48 seconds of discussion on design, aesthetics, symbolism, history, textiles, engineering...just brilliant bank holiday viewing. Thank you, Geoff.

[@damiangraham7990]

Geoff, you’ve smashed it out of the park with this interview with Paul Marchant. I’m I surface print / graphic designer for sportswear and I loved the insight of this interview.

[@geofftech2]

thanks Damian, very kind!

[@brian9731]

I agree. This is almost but not quite up there with the James Bond / Bond Street video.

[@dnswuk]

I have never seen Geoff so happy 😊

[@emilysewell3464]

I hope this art is never lost. Most industries don't appreciate touches like this anymore

[@duchygardens]

Geoff, your sound recording is excellent. Warm, no echo, and you achieve that whether interviewing, on location or doing a voiceover. i know that many KZbinrs really struggle with that, so thanks for giving your professional production a really professional sound.

[@N1120A]

This is great. I love how Paul is a serious artist and designer and how Geoff's enthusiasm and humor nust breaks him down into another enthusiast and show how much pride he takes in his work.

[@paulhoughton5266]

That was a 20 minute lesson in product design, thoroughly enjoyed, hope you can invite Paul back for further conversations.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

What an interesting job to have! Imagine going on the tube each day and sitting on top of designs you've created. Weird but very cool!

[@farrenlee3314]

As someone who watched the video over the years, this video feels eerily like a 2015 Geoff video from the Londonist days in 2023 quality. Keep up the good work!

[@colingraham1065]

Brilliant interview with someone who obviously loves his job. Moquette really is the fabric of London!

[@BooksAndShitButNotLiterally]

how? everywhere has these

[@maryapatterson]

Its one of these interviews that should be on rotation at the London Transport Museum.🤩

[@DannyWood7989]

Today, I learned a new word, "moquette". It was mentioned more in 22 minutes than most will hear in a lifetime. Love the energy. Design subtleties are hidden gems.

[@gerrywaters2995]

Back in the 80's my wife brought some lovely material and made a trouser suit. Went to off to work, sat on the bus and discovered she blended in. She had made a routemaster moquette outfit, needless to say it never saw the light of day again 😂

[@tamara3984]

What a shame... it sounds fabulous

[@Nitrxgen]

Amazing collab, but also extremely fast paced, like it's a speed talking competition lmao, you two are clearly super enthusiastic and I love to see that.

[@simonro9168]

I usually watch things at 2x, but I had to go down to 1.5 to catch everything lol. Definitely a speed talking competition

[@Thecrazyvaclav]

22 minutes of watching a bloke talk about seat covering, and thoroughly enjoyed it, great video

[@markpearce5793]

I really thought this going to be a dull one. But it was fascinating, and what a great guy Paul is 😁 Btw, I think the last but one moquette is from the now defunct London Country Buses. We used to have them when I was young, around the South Bucks and Hertfordshire area.

[@marcelwiszowaty1751]

Yes, I thought it was probably Green Line or London Country, although I don't think I ever travelled on any of their buses in LT days.

[@markpearce5793]

@@marcelwiszowaty1751 Yes possibly Green Line. Did they share the same moquette as London Country buses? I had four years in the late 60s, using the Routemasters on the LCB 353 route from Chesham to Berkhampstead going to school there. The seats had that moquette with brown leather inserts at the top and the leading edge of the cushions with lovely chrome hand rails on top.

[@marcelwiszowaty1751]

@@markpearce5793 I honestly don't know if they shared a moquette but it does seem a possibility.

[@highpath4776]

@@marcelwiszowaty1751 I think there was a variation between Green Line and London Country area RF/RT/RM family initally , the muesum should have full details, the RCLs were specd up quite high .

[@marcelwiszowaty1751]

@@highpath4776 I did some Googling on the topic but it was still unclear to me either way.

[@jerry2357]

Geoff, you should go to the Halifax industrial museum. They have a display about weaving moquettes, including pattern books of old designs etc.

[@JohnnyHooverTravels]

In a world where Geoff always makes great videos, this was one of the greatest. Hearing from Paul (who is wonderful) as he talks to you was a delight. What a great bloke. What a nerdy job. At one point I thought he was going to say "great design is 99% invisible"... which would, of course, have been the wrong podcast! Hmmm... Paul would be great on 99PI though...

[@htmlland]

I would love to hear Paul talk about other things they have designed even the small things like sign holders

[@helenstoddard4426]

I think it would be interesting to hear Paul talk about anything. Seems a thoughtful and intelligent man.

[@hyttennis]

Look how happy Geoff is geeking out. Love it!

[@TheOffertonhatter]

Another great video. If anyone is interested, there is a loom at the Calderdale industrial museum in Halifax, that did Moquette for many transport companies, including the underground. They have examples of some of the old moquette designs in the video. Worth a visit. I was there only last week.

[@sasasasue]

Paul is fascinating and I love his clear passion for design! It's lovely to see his design boards too, umph would love to see how all of his designs have changed from first draft through to final product!

[@Luluxxxx]

Absolutely love how delighted Geoff is to meet this guy!

[@lewismassie]

Every nerd fandom has it's moquettes, and as a result it's moquette designer. There are some questions that you can only find the answer to by asking directly and it's not often you get the chance to do so, so this was a delight to watch

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

From henceforth, let's use the term "moquette" for that one thing in every subculture.

[@spenny690]

I've put off watching this for three weeks because l thought it would be twenty-two minutes of tedium, but l couldn't have been more wrong. It was utterly fascinating, and l could have watched for much longer.

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

I too put it off but was encouraged to give it a go after this comment of yours. Unfortunately, I still hold the original opinion. But Geoffers enjoyed himself at least.

[@HenrysAdventures]

I found this video fascinating. Great to see the man and the thoughts behind those moquette we all have sat on so many times.

[@dorsettyke]

Excellent video. Nothing better than watching/listening to an expert in their field. 👍

[@GiacomodellaSvezia]

Mr Marchant really knows his stuff. 😊

[@leestoddart7014]

What a great interview. Paul Marchant did a wonderful job explaining what goes in to design. I particularly like how he describes a good design as one that most people don't consciously notice.

[@Redstoneghost133]

I'm studying product design engineering because industrial design doesn't really exist anymore. I love the amount of future concerns that Paul and his team think about all the time; it makes me proud to be a designer.

[@onemorechris]

this guy is exactly how i expected him to be. living between epic train geek and fashionista. so much train jargon too, love it

[@customtransport2777]

It’s interesting that Geoff filmed this video inside a retired C69 Stock which is also my childhood like the D78 and I enjoyed seeing how the designer talked about the info to do with the moquette of the new Piccadilly Line which I’m looking forward to seeing! 👍

[@PassiveAgressive319]

You can see the sheer giddiness and schoolboy delight emanating from Geoff in this interview. Peak nerd at its finest😊❤

[@Porrohman19]

Wow, never thought I’d find train seat fabric design interesting. Thanks! Good to see someone clearly passionate about their job.

[@trainspotting_hildesheim3245]

He really looks like a designer. Great guy!

[@Kevin_Hones]

Thanks for yet another excellent film. “Visually manage the dirt” is a phrase I will purloin for many years to come 😀

[@dees3179]

This could have lasted three hours and I’d have been glued. Brilliant interview. Well done and thanks.

[@StanleyV64]

Anyone with glasses like that is already considered epic - AND he designs TFL moquettes? Amazing.

[@lapiswake6583]

My favourite is the Bakerloo Barman. However, I love how the brown leather trim contrasts the darker moquette, so I was disappointed when I got my set of 3 moquette masks and the Bakerloo Barman just had a grey strap instead of a contrasting lighter brown for it. I also love how a lot of the modern designs match. The 2 overground ones, the 2 tram ones (although oddly, one is rotated 90 degrees to the standard), and the Elizabeth line all matching in style.

[@NJRD977]

This was the most wonderful celebration of a specialist subject - I have worked with a few industrial designers over the years and they are all cut from the same cloth as Paul when it comes to their areas of specialisation - if you ever want to distract them in a meeting, just deliberately get something subtlely wrong on their subject and whatever you were trying to avoid talking about will be quickly forgotten as they start on a several hour lecture (usually followed up with notes, samples and even whole presentations)

[@kbtred51]

You earned a like for the cloth

[@owenaric]

That was a great interview! I did not fathom that Moquettes could get so interesting!

[@martingallen]

Paul was an amazing guest. Brilliant content and discussion. Definitely would be pleased to have more industrial design content

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

This answered everything I wanted to know about Tube moquettes. Now, that wasn't a very hard task, as I had no questions about Tube moquettes due to the fact that I had never heard of them until now. So, really, you've gone far beyond my expectations.

[@neddreadmaynard]

Nailed another big fish interview Mr Marshall! BBC? Who's that? Fantasmic!!🎉

[@Eddyspeeder]

As a foreigner, I did enjoy the Geoff's Match&Max the Moquette bits, but never cared much about the designs. But I found myself thoroughly enjoying this video. It changed my appreciation for moquette, and I'd love to see Geoff doing a follow-up video in perhaps about two years from now! Thanks also to Andrew for sharing his drafts and upcoming fabrics!

[@davidbassett4577]

As several comments have suggested that that penultimate moquette was London Country Bus design .. I don’t think they had their own version .. I believe it’s the Green Line Moquette from the 1960’s that were specific to the Routemaster Coaches (RMC’s & RCL’s) and also the modernised RF Green Line Coaches (with the twin headlights & large waist bands).. all of which were transferred to LCBS on 1/1/70.. many of these coaches were soon downgraded to bus duty before being replaced by more modern omo vehicles ie Leyland Nationals & Atlanteans .. plus my favourites the little Bristol LHS (BN) class

[@tamara3984]

Really interesting to hear abt Gren Line. Our English school books were called Green Line, after the busses, but it took years before I came across one in a film.

[@davekirwin]

As a designer and transport enthusiast, I thought this was brilliant - congrats G on a informative, interesting and enjoyable interview with the knowledgeable Mr Marchant.

[@MonsterJuiced]

In general, I love catching a train to somewhere. It's the prep I enjoy some of the most. I goto the station, get myself a nice coffee, get on the train somewhere 2 or 3 hours away and bust out my laptop or put some music in and enjoy the scenery. As for the moquette designs, I've always thought they were charming.

[@quantisedspace7047]

The Industrial Designer guy must be the best communicator I've ever seen in any interview of this nature. He sort of reminds me of the 'Mannerd Maketh Man' paradigm of Kingsman.

[@jonathanscripps917]

Joint top of the class goes to Geoff and Paul. Thank you gentlemen for what you both do. Talent will out. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@mrowl-the-dsm1304]

That was so so interesting Geoff, you could hardly contain your questions and thirst for his knowledge, I could listen and watch Paul for hours, One of the best KZbin videos I have watched in ages. Excellent work Geoff.

[@altheagray103]

OMGosh Geoff. You could hardly contain yourself. Love it! 😂😂😂

[@marthaanderson2656]

This was amazing. The visual aspect of the Underground is one of my favorite things

[@govtpeaches]

I loved this so much! The dynamic was amazing -- I felt like Paul was trying to resist the fan energy for a while, and seemed to be succeeding, but by the end it was clear, especially after the identifications, that he is one of us. Love it, love it!!!

[@Eddyspeeder]

Especially in those last few words he surely let on his passion. I loved that!

[@Stephen_Lafferty]

It's great to see the level of detail and design engineering that goes in to creating something that most daily users don't pay much attention to! Thank you for this interesting interview, Geoff!

[@TheHoveHeretic]

A totally unexpected subject, but wow ..... one of your very best and Mr.Marchant ..... what a superb guest. Thanks so much Geoff. BTW The Red Bus equivalent of the Green Line moquette was on RT IIRC.

[@karaloca]

Great video. Nice to see a person so passionate about his job. Also good to know that company values design and let’s him get on with it. So many designers would’ve been told from higher up to ‘stop messing around and just make the seats red, or green or blue’.

[@lukespillane]

I could have watched HOURS of this - brilliant chat Geoff. More interviews like this highlighting wonderful train related jobs pls!

[@scoopjeff]

Brilliant interview Geoff, what an interesting guy Paul is, reminded me a bit of David Bowie with his enthusiasm, more of this please

[@ianangusmann]

I really enjoyed that video. Well done. I have also sent the link to my friend who is a design teacher and she will circulate to other teachers here in New Zealand. It gave a great insight to how a designer works.

[@davidwilkins3783]

I never knew I could get so excited over upholstery, but the process is intriguing, especially the color coordination of the interiors of the cars.

[@MrPete81]

What a fantastic video and a brilliant gentleman! With the blend of engineering and art he knows his stuff. Thank you Geoff!

[@markbriggs5531]

You two should definitely launch a range of moquette underpants - practical, stylish and hard-wearing and just the ticket for the man about town!

[@Hanzilla75]

Wow, as an industrial designer, this is super interesting. I did my dissertation on public transport design and looked at both London and Copenhagen infrastructure and specific vehicles. This was a great video, excellent work Geoff.

[@espkav]

Ace video! As an industrial designer working in rail for the last 12 years this shows how much work goes into designing moquette!

[@QPRTokyo]

This is the best video I have seen this year. Thank you. It was enjoyable, entertaining and educational.

[@dansoper]

What a treat to have such a long video, with great questions.

[@twiggytransit8370]

Excellent video Geoff, moquette is one of my favourite things about public transport so learning about the design process was really enjoyable

[@Northstander]

Loved this video, a great mix of looking into the future and a trip down memory lane...thoroughly engaging interviewee...maybe we could have a series where Geoff interviews designers of all things associated with rail transport.

[@euanfyfe3914]

I am not an industrial designer but I found this to be a fascinating glimpse of the process and worth a second look. Some other subjects such as the information displays in trains have been covered briefly before and I would like to see more investigation of design related to travel.

[@vanwesthuizen7427]

Absolutely loved this video! Amazing rumble and just a beautiful insight into transportation design :)

[@socpancake]

thank you both, and everyone else involved! always a joy to watch your deep dives, Geoff, and today I’m especially excited to have gotten all the answers about the questions that plague many a public transport journey 😅 cheers!

[@Boyracer2983]

Absolute hats off to this gentleman and his team, to insert that much effort and knowledge of London into their products is commendable. I found this video to be an amazing watch, the energy from both of you, had me on the edge of my seat. On a side note, 21:33 in the video, his glasses arm reflects a pattern, is this also a moquette? Thank you once again Geoff and supporting team for producing such an amazing and informative video. ✌✌☮☮❤❤

[@137Rita]

Thanks Geoff. This was so interesting! I'd never really noticed moquettes until I started watching your channel but I when I was in London recently I even bought a pair of moquette design socks 😅

[@oxenforde]

I can’t believe I watched 22 minutes of “moquette” and found it fascinating.

[@michaelzoeller9552]

What a great interview. As a former graphic designer I found it of particular interest. Geoff: You were close to bursting with excitement!

[@jameshodgson1609]

Brilliant video Geoff. Such a great insight into the design process.

[@mohammedmay]

You should do a show because this is amazing.

[@SharksSport143]

Having watched many of your videos (and featured in one), can I just say this is the most interesting thing I've ever seen! Fantastic Geoff!

[@Geeraffe]

Geoff - I think it’s high time you level up your Tube nerdness and have a suit made out of Moquette patten - good interview 👍👍👍

[@travelswithjess]

So interesting learning about the different moquettes. There were some designs that I hadn’t seen before! Great video Geoff 😀

[@tashvadj4914]

Such a great channel! I love how you explore this niche, as a born and bred Londoner the tube is in my soul. The 59 stock covered in late 80s graffiti looked the most beautiful but alas all we have are memories.

[@pqlasmdhryeiw8]

Is Geoff an excited puppy? Yes. Are we happy for Geoff? Also yes x

[@CyanideCarrot]

Amazing how the Tube is such a cultural icon of London that even little details like the moquettes are a big deal

[@6yjjk]

At least on the lines I've been on, they even put flecks of the line colours in the linoleum on the floor.

[@robertcurrie9977]

This is great = I've shared this with my first-year design class students. Really shows how complex and thoughtful the design process is, and how many constraints (LRV, dirt, etc.) that have to be balanced.

[@guillaumemaurice3503]

Thank you for sharing this video Geoff that was very interesting. ❤

[@petrolhead28]

And that's what makes the tube unique

[@robertward7449]

❤ one of your best ever! I must have sat on buses and tubes many thousands of times, I had absolutely no idea of the amount of effort that goes into designing the moquettes. I have always admired the neat way each line has its own distinct colour scheme.

[@mike_ctid_taylor]

What a fantastic insight into moquette design, great work Geoff.

[@Verminousdan]

Absolutely fantastic interivew. Gripped for the whole 22 minutes

[@a11oge]

when i saw the vid was 22 minutes long I thought, I will give see how it goes. The time shot by, your great questons, and Paul's personality, plus smart editing made this a delight

[@elroyvanderley6460]

What a wonderful interview. Such a lovely man. And Im a huge moquette fan so this is brilliant!

[@cazharris5581]

This is a fascinating video - I didn’t realise how much planning went into creating moquette and it makes you appreciate it much more.

[@michellebell5092]

Thoroughly interesting. Great interview, I loved that guy. He was as cool as his designs