Alexander Girard, born in 1907 in New York City, was one of the decisive figures of post-war American design alongside his close friends George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames.The focus of his broad oeuvre was on textile design: As head of the Herman Miller Company's textile division, Girard designed a multitude of textiles. He favoured abstract and geometric forms, typically put together in bright constellations of colours.His upholstery fabrics remain as timely and vital as ever with many of them still being sold today. Having originally studied architecture, Girard made a name for himself over his long career in the fields of furniture, exhibition and interior design as well as in the graphic arts.On his extended travels, he avidly collected textiles from all over the world, which furnished him with a source of inspiration and ideas.

In 1993, the final year of his life, he bequeathed these holdings to the Vitra Design Museum Collection along with the contents of his studio; hundreds of drawings, prototypes and textile samples.