Ethical Fashions, Peace Silk & Tosheka Designs

 

Every once and awhile as we conduct research online for  information, new innovations and stories within the textile industry to develop and share with you, we stumble on unique individuals and companies doing interesting and often times fascinating things with fabric around the world. One such company is Tosheka Designs.

Ruth Carter’s Wakanda Wonderland

When I went to see Marvel’s Black Panther  movie, I went with a mission…. to see and be inspired by Ruth Carter’s creative manifestation of  Marvel Studio’s  artistic concepts in all its masterful glory.  I was not disappointed. From the alluring grandiosity of Zulu-inspired headpieces worn by Wakanda’s queen mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and the eye-poppingly ornate armor adorned with chevron print worn by the all-female based warriors, to Nakia’s (Lupita Nyongo) sumptuously textured, kente cloth-inspired green gown that seemed to mold to her form, the creative collaboration of both visionaries left theater goers in awe and aspiring designers wanting more from Ruth.

Rita Moreno Turns the 90th Oscar’s Red Carpet Green

This past weekend marked the 90th Anniversary of the Oscar’s , a night set aside each year to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements within the American film industry. However, for many fashionistas, designers and viewers worldwide, it is the night of the red carpet fashion parade. For fashion watchers this time, it was the night Rita Moreno turned the Oscar’s red carpet green.

As in years past, there often unfolds a seemingly unintentional color palate or design concept that becomes the fashion theme for the night. Whether it is black and form fitting or low plunging necklines and open backs, which fashion trends take center stage is always an anticipation and highlight.

2018 Winter Olympics Fashion Faux Pas

With the exciting 2018 Winter Olympics coming to a close today, we can all breath a hopeful sigh of relief that the worst of the wardrobe malfunctions is now over. After figure skaters Gabriella Papadakis and Yura Min both braved their worst possible performance nightmares come true with grace and focus (second to a fall) when each of their costumes came undone exposing some or all of their womanly parts to the millions of viewers watching live worldwide,  the only question that remained on the minds of seamstresses and costume designers who viewed this fashion faux pas is ….

Bow Ties…What’s In a Name?

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Where did the infamous ‘bow tie’ get its start and what purpose did it serve? It wasn’t to keep a man’s neck warm and it surely wasn’t to make him feel more comfortable. Maybe it was designed to simply keep his collar closed or strategically draw attention to the length of his beard (which in some cultures is a measure of wisdom). Whatever the reason it first made its debut, we found its presence in history and fashion important enough to do a little research and share our findings.

Go Green! Top 10 Eco-Friendly Terms To Look For On Your Next Shopping Trip.

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We are living in a time when the rich resources our loving Mother Earth has provided us with are now, as a result of abuse and misuse by man, in need of sustaining to ensure their provision not only for her living inhabitants now, but for future generations to come. It is because of this, that a growing awareness in and ‘go-green’ consciousness of creative ways to assist in this precious recycling of resources has developed. From Number 1 PET or PETE soda and water bottle plastics recycled into polar fleece, to the use of natural fibers, dyes and chemical free cleaning processes on our textile goods, being eco-friendly has become as necessary as it has trendy!

Golden Globe’s 2014 Red Dress Affair!

If you didn’t get a chance to stick around and check all the big wins  this past weekend at the 2014 Golden Globes Awards,  maybe you at least got a sneak peak of the red carpet styling as designers vied for celebrities to dress,  fashion police made arrests, and talk show hosts selected their best to be put on display. The only thing missing….a few good firemen to put out the flames as ladies on fire lit up the runway!

The Dressmaker’s Thread Arsenal

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Ever visited a website or fabric store and stumbled upon the notion, sewing supply and thread selection? Do you get puzzled trying to sort through what thread you need for a project? Let’s face it, we all want to get home and get sewing and not be scratching our head over thread. Yet, thread is just as important as the project itself. If you don’t purchase good quality thread or purchase the wrong type for the fabric you are using your project is in jeopardy of not lasting as long as you might like or not cooperating with the sewing machine itself. So, dressmaker’s often amass a thread arsenal that includes a rainbow of their most turned to threads as well as some specialty types for special projects. Check out my listing below for a guide to threads for your next project.

Fascinating Fabric: What A Beautiful Web We Weave

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It is hard for us at J&O Fabric to think of spiders as anything other than the creepy crawly things that give us goosebumps. However, upon finding out that more than a million Golden Orb spiders were used to create a 13-foot-long silk textile masterpiece, we had to give the spindly legged buggers their due.

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To make the fabric, the spiders were collected each morning and put into ‘harnesses’ that linked them to specially made machines that would extract their silk. At the end of each session, the spiders were returned to the wild. This is a sharp contrast to the fate of silkworms whose pupa are killed in their cocoons to produce commonly used silk.

J&O Fabrics: 3rd Annual Most Creative Handcrafted Halloween Costume Contest

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If there is one thing that being in the fabric industry for over 45 years has shown us, it’s that despite the change of seasons and passing of generations, Halloween is one of those celebrated holidays that continues to beckon the creative imagination and stirring a parade of popular tv and movie characters, ghoulish monsters, funny faces and exotic personalities hidden behind extravagant costumes to take to the streets each time Oct 31st comes around. With this little known fact in mind, we at J&O fabric store vow to continue to play our part in conjuring the creativity of our customers with  not only awesome fabric, but the opportunity to get it for free just in time for the festive parties! From scary looking Halloween themed novelty prints and fancy dress fabrics, to versatile felts and funky retro’s, bringing the bizarre into existence is just a click away! And what better way to showcase them than thru our 3rd Annual Most Creative Handcrafted Halloween Costume Contest!