A textile designer from Thanet, whose work shot her to international fame in the 1950s, is set to take the fashion world by storm once again.

Mary White’s print designs, which were used in cabins on board the Queen Mary ocean liner and for curtains and coverings at Heathrow Airport, will adorn a range of limited edition men’s clothing.

Mary, who is now 78, retired from designing in the 1960s to dedicate more time to her young family.

She maintained her passion for painting and drawing, although she has not worked commercially again – until now.

Mary said: “Once I made the decision to quit design, I put all my work away, all neatly filed in boxes.

“When we got them out and looked at them again I was amazed at how many I remembered.

“Each one has its own story. I can even remember where I was when I painted them and what inspired me to create them.”

Mary’s work was discovered by her daughter-in-law Sarah Denning during a rummage through her attic.

There, she stumbled across a chest of designs from a bygone era – a discovery which inspired her to set up a new company called Pigletchops.

Sarah is now hand-producing a range of men’s shirts which mark the diamond anniversary of one of Mary’s most acclaimed pieces.

She said: “I knew Mary had been a designer and I even knew some of her most well known work. It is truly iconic.”

Mary, who still lives in Thanet, which was the inspiration for her contemporary creations, has exhibitions dedicated to her work at both the V&A Museum in London and the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester.

Her contribution to the fashion world included over 100 unique patterns which were sold to some of the country’s most prestigious department stores.