March 12, 2017
It seems like the 1960s and 70s are “in” right now. There has been a renewed interest in the era of free love, peace movements, and the creativity that sprang from youth of the time, especially around fashion. The 1960s and 1970s were known for the renewed and creative use of traditional textile craft such as embroidery, applique, dying, and crochet in clothing to create unique and colorful garments. There is a great article in this month's Vanity Fair about the summer of 1967 and its impact on fashion and culture in America - the era from which Folkwear sprang (note: link only show pictures from article, you must be a subscriber to read the article).
This month a new exhibit called “Counter-Couture: Handmade Fashion in American Counterculture” opened at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. This exhibition was organized by Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, Washington, and curated by Guest Curator Michael Cepress. And, Folkwear has a connection to it!
One of the original Folkwear dresses is in the collection on display. Alexandra Jacopetti Hart, one of the founders of Folkwear designed and created the dress when creating the Afghan Nomad Dress (#107) pattern when they founded the company in the mid 1970s.
Folkwear's #107 Afghan Nomad Dress on exhibit at the NY MAD Counter-Couture exhibit. Made by Alexandra Hart.
If you want to check out the exhibit, click on any of the links below and you will see great photos of the garments on display - and learn quite a bit more about the period and fashion. See if you can spot Folkwear’s Afghan Nomad Dress! Bonus if you can find a version of the Gaza Dress (#101) in there too!
Exhibit is open until August 10, 2017
Links to view exhibit (if you can't make it to NYC):
Exhibition Link Online with photos of the installation: http://madmuseum.org/exhibition/counter-coutureNew York Times Video:
https://www.facebook.com/nytimesstyles/videos/1429433023762899/
Womenswear Daily:
Arts Summary - A Visual Tour:
Stylecurated:
http://stylecurated.blogspot.com/2017/03/counter-couture-handmade-fashion-in.html
Accessories Magazine:
https://www.accessoriesmagazine.com/149349/museum-arts-design-opens-counter-couture-exhibit
March 10, 2017 16 Comments on The History of Folkwear
The History of Folkwear
In the mid-1970s, three
The three founders were a perfect team to create a line of innovative patterns that was revolutionary for its time—this was the mid 1970s when women's wear in
During the recession of the mid-1980s, Folkwear's business health suffered along with so many other small businesses. The company was sold to The Taunton Press, publisher of Threads magazine, and by the early 1990s most of the original patterns were back in print and new patterns were under development.
In 1998,
So many different types of people use Folkwear patterns. There are historic re-enactors, Renaissance Faire participants, theater costume designers, and lovers of creative art-to-wear. Residents of historic neighborhoods and members of antique auto clubs use the patterns to dress to the appropriate historic period for their annual events. Folks who adopt children from other countries use the patterns to teach the little ones about their native cultures. Swing, tango, and ballroom dancers love to use the patterns for their passion. Living history museums and Universal Studios dress their staff in Folkwear patterns. The The male actors in the first television episode of The Lonesome Dove all wore a Folkwear pattern (#204
In 2002, Mathews purchased the Folkwear pattern division. Folkwear became, yet again, an independent, woman-owned firm, just like it was in its earliest days. Mathews ran Folkwear for 14 years, adding many new patterns to the collection. Folkwear was sold in late 2016 to Molly Hamilton, a young woman and fellow sewer, in Asheville who currently owns and runs the company. Through it all, the company has retained a loyal group of fans who keep the passion for vintage and ethnic garments alive! And, Gretchen Schields has continued to illustrate nearly all of the patterns since the inception of the company until 2017, contributing to the iconic images associated with Folkwear patterns.
-- written by Kate Mathews - fiber artist, sewer, weaver, and former owner of Folkwear