Fabric (re)collection
It’s a fact that our sense of
smell and memory are powerfully linked. While I have been considering this piece of
work I have been thinking of the fabrics of my childhood this has proved
remarkably true. One of my most vivid childhood
memories is of the cloakroom smell at school on wet days. I think it must have been damp gabardine macs
and mouldering wellingtons which were standard garb at the time. The smell of a pac a mac lives with me as
well especially if it had been rolled up when it was wet. This led me to thinking about the changes I
have witnessed in fabrics over my lifetime
I was a child in the 1950’s and I
can remember my mothers’ delight when she bought me a school skirt in Terylene
where the pleats stayed in even through washing in the new twin tub.
LONDON, November 12 1950.— Imperial
Chemical Industries have announced that its new chemical plant in Yorkshire
will produce each year 11,000.0001bs of terv Icno, a new synthetic textile......
the fibre is made from oil and its makers claim it is twice as strong as
cotton, unshrinkable, moth proof and it
looks like silk, dries overnight, and creases in trousers will keep for months.
Ter-lcnc. a British discovery, is also being made in the United States under
licence.
My sister had an Orlon cardigan
which was lovely and soft. It too went
into the washer and came out quite unwearable.
I think the wash was too hot just like my Mum’s temper that day.
In 1941 DuPont were trying to improve rayon and
discovered a method of spinning acrylic polymer. Initially it was hoped that the resulting
fibre would replace wool but Orlon didn’t take off until a bulky yarn composed
of short fibres was introduced. http://www2.dupont.com/Phoenix_Heritage/en_US/1941_detail.html
It’s hard to think that Crimplene
ever had any cache but it did. It was
introduced in the 50’s and popular because it was tough and washed and dried
easily. I have a memory of my Mum trying to iron a Crimplene dress and the ensuing smell was appalling. In the early 1960’s I made “A”
line shift dresses in Crimplene. As
lighter weight synthetic fabrics and trendy designers came onto the market it
became less popular.
 |
| Typical 60’s Crimplene |
Designers like Mary Quant who popularised
the mini skirt (and of necessity tights) were my idols but the originals were
too expensive for me to buy so had to use Quant patterns from Butterwick. I did run to a Quant poncho that I still have
(it manages not to smell of pac a mac plastic).
Quant used denim and PVC in new ways and created a "mod" culture. My parents were highly
resistant to the styles I loved.
 |
| A Mary Quant design |
Nowadays I need to be able to
wash everything I buy with no shrinkage.
I expect it to be comfortable, have good colour retention and long
wearability. I don’t think the wardrobe
of my childhood could have offered all these advantages.
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