Article: Why Chanel and The Row bought fabric from a tiny Australian fabric mill.
Why Chanel and The Row bought fabric from a tiny Australian fabric mill.
In the very early days of Caves Sarah and I stumbled on some sumptuous Merino deadstock rib one of our suppliers was selling. We were intrigued by who’d made this fabric as it was the most special rib we’d ever seen but sadly it was part of a big lot they’d bought and didn’t know where it had originally been milled, as is often the case with deadstock fabrics. We bought the few rolls they had in black and ivory and made it into Jim T’s.
It was such an incredibly special fabric, the perfect amount of transparency as to show the hint of shape under a T and elegantly drape over the body. No doubt what Bernini would have sculptured on Proserpina if Merino T’s were around in the 17th century.
People who managed to procure one of those first T’s still tell us how much they love them to this day and those who missed out have begged us to make more, sadly of which we’ve never been able.
Over the years I’d heard rumours of a mill in Melbourne’s outer fringes, one of the last makers of raw fabric left in Australia and a few months ago I tracked it down and made the trek out to see what they were about. I was floored by what I found. This mill is run by Stephen a man with an incredible passion for the artistry of fabric design and an eye that is honed through years of experimentation. Stephen proudly told me that a few years back he’d secured an agent for the mill in Paris and has since sold fabric to luxury houses like Chanel and the Row. Pretty impressive for a small and humble Australian mill!
On perusing the fabric cuttings that showed examples of his work, I was enthused to find the very same fabric that I’d discovered with Sarah all those years ago! As such, I am happy to announce the return of the Jim T, just in time to commemorate our 10th year in business. It’s not often we get to use Australian fabrics, as there are so few mills still in operation, so this is an incredibly meaningful part of our collection of which I am very proud.
Jo x
