Way back in 2010, Cary Vaughan and Jenna Wilson – long time col-
leagues in the NYC fashion design industry – found themselves with
the fledgling idea for a new kind of label. Determined to do bet-
ter than the fast-fashion blur in which they found themselves, the
women envisioned a line centred entirely on cloth (no zips, few but-
tons) that would be well loved, frequently worn and – presciently –
passed down from person to person.
“We’d both been collecting textile scraps and inspiration from our
travels for years, saving them up for... something!” recalls Cary.
“Given our shared love of these historic remnants, it felt right to set
about creating our own woven textiles that would resonate deeply
and create joy. We’d seen the face of disposable fashion and knew we
must do better. So we rejected it by creating our own cloth and sil-
houettes that would become beloved, well worn and passed along.”
Agreeing their passion lay in artisanal woven textiles, the search for
a weaving partner eventually led the pair to India, and a family-run
manufacturer – complete with ancient wooden handlooms – that
shared Jenna and Cary’s kaizen philosophy of continuous improve-
ment, as well as a commitment to practices including free childcare
for workers and the use of reclaimed water to grow organic produce
for employees. As the business has evolved over the last decade,
so too have the processes, but every piece of Ace&Jig fabric still
begins life as fibres that are expertly dyed by hand and sight – with
no measuring – before being dried in the sun and wound on an old
bicycle wheel.
Ace&Jig (named after the duo’s firstborns – Cary’s daughter Alice
and Jenna’s son James) launched in Autumn 2010 with just three
custom-designed woven textiles (Cary still remembers people tell-
ing her they couldn’t possibly launch a line with so few fabrics), and
quickly caught the attention of an industry starting to wake up to the
problematic nature of fast fashion. With an increasing number of
consumers looking for an alternative model, the stage was set for the
swift formation of the hugely supportive fanbase – supportive both of
the brand and each other – that’s come to define Ace&Jig.
“Our community is the best!” says Jenna. “We don’t know when the
first seeds of it were sewn, but we definitely think the creation of our
Instagram account gave people who followed us a platform for con-
nection – then from there, it grew and grew.”
It’s that highly engaged following that’s perhaps the most unique
element of Ace&Jig – even more so than the textiles themselves.
Developing organically on social media, it’s now grown to the point
that fans regularly organise offline meet-ups in various cities across
the globe, where they bond over a shared love for woven textiles and
slow fashion. Currently, one particular piece – a baja hoodie from the
Spring 2014 collection – is being posted from fan to fan around the
world to be worn, enjoyed and then passed along, in an idea dreamt
up by a community member in Italy.
As the fanbase rapidly grew, so too did the collections. Twice a year
Ace&Jig now launches a new range of more than 25 fabrics and styles
as well as old, fan-favourite silhouettes. Cary and Jenna each have
equal input into every textile – no mean feat considering they now live
on opposite sides of the US, with Jenna in Portland, Cary in Brooklyn
and their team of 10 divided across both coasts. Though the separa-
tion was initially challenging (they admit to having to raise their Skype
game), the team now finds the distance to be a plus – they’re avail-
able more hours a day, can travel to a wider variety of community
events and are immersed in both east and west coast inspiration.
Process wise, the textile design always comes first, with Cary
and Jenna then using the weight and drape of each to determine
which style will be produced in which fabric. “Every textile is a joint
endeavor,” explains Cary, “and our inspiration comes from all over- art, nature, textile scraps gathered over the years, our kids’ draw-
ings and the colours of Brooklyn and Portland. We take all this inspi-
ration to create a first design and from there we tweak the colour,
texture, pattern and weight until we arrive at something that gives
us that magical feeling.”
While the fabrics are undeniably beautiful, the complexity of the
weaves – particularly their signature double gauze, which can take
an ace up your sleeve
FEW FASHION BRANDS CAN LAY CLAIM TO A FANBASE THAT
NOT ONLY SELLS AND TRADES PIECES ACROSS CONTINENTS,
BUT ALSO ORGANISES IN-PERSON GATHERINGS IN CITIES
AROUND THE GLOBE. BUT THEN ACE&JIG ISN’T AN ORDINARY
BRAND – BASED AS IT IS ENTIRELY AROUND UNIQUELY WOVEN
TEXTILES DESIGNED TO BE LOVED FOREVER.
words HELEN DEWAR photos COURTESY OF ACE&JIG
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