FASHION
In lieu of new fabrics, designers are
gravitating to those w ith provenance—from
retro K ansas City calicos to Lyonnaise
couture jacquards. Seven labels reveal where
they find their material treasures.
The Upcycling Hunt
Though he’s tight-lipped about where he unearths them,
Ronald van der Kemp is quite expressive when it comes
to the vintage fabrics that go into his one-of-a kind,
direct-to-client creations. “One of the French mills that
used to do a lot for the old couturiers in the ’70s and
’80s stopped their business, and somebody had
bought up all their archives—yardages in very small
quantities of precious mousselines and chiffons
in the kind of quality that you simply can’t find anymore.
I found them last year and bought up everything—they
bring tears to my eyes when I look at them.”
Batsheva Hay sources
her vintage fabrics for
those Little House on the
Prairie dresses you’ve
seen floating around the
big city from, of all places,
eBay. “It’s partially out
of necessity,” she says.
“I’m not going to the flea
market in Paris—I’m
at home, searching for
fabric in the nighttime
while my kids are asleep.”
She’ll bid on ’80s floral
chintzes and moiré faux
silks uploaded onto the
digital auction block by
mom-and-pop sellers
in the Midwest, fabrics
that—Hay concedes—
“aren’t even really meant
for clothing!”
Fans of his patchworked
Duro dress range from
First Ladies to fashion
editors whose skilled eyes
recognize that this is no
mere quilt job. On the
Empire-waisted frock are
fabric trims dating back
to couture’s Golden Age—
Lyonnaise jacquards from
Bianchini-Férier and
chinés from the defunct
Swiss silk mill Abraham.
A self-professed fabric
nerd, Olowu explains that
you just have to know
what you’re looking for:
“I became known for
walking into any store
and saying, ‘Could you just
show me the stuff in
the basement?’ ”
RVDK RONALD VAN DER KEMP
DURO OLOWU BATSHEVA
SOURCED BY RONALD
VAN DER KEMP FROM
AN ATTIC IN FLORENCE.
FASHIO N>1 1 8
116
MAP: EKLER/SHUTTERSTOCK. BACKGROUND: COURTESY OF RONALD VAN DER KEMP.
OCTOBER 2019 VOGUE.COM
VLIFE
