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Help IDing unusual Teddy Bear in a bikini label

Discussion in 'PUBLIC Vintage Fashion - Ask Questions Get Answers' started by Lola And Black, Mar 19, 2015.

  1. Lola And Black

    Lola And Black Registered Guest

    I have two late 70s hippie pieces-a blouse and jacket-both are lightweight gauzy fabric with metallic gold stampings. The labels have been snipped out but in each piece there is a label attached to the side seam that has a teddy bear wearing a bikini. I honestly have no idea what designer this could be. If it helps I am in the San Francisco area and wonder if this might be a local SF designer. DSC_0055.JPG

    DSC_0040.JPG
     
  2. Pinkcoke

    Pinkcoke Alumni

    Hi Lola, the length of your top and the style of the machine woven label suggest to me this could be a later, retro looking garment. The gathered seam being over the bust, rather than under, is also a feature I remember from current fashions between 5-10 years ago.
    You can search the US trademark database by design code (image) - there are codes for each part, combining teddy bear (21.01.11) & bow tie (09.03.15) and bathing suits (09.03.11) brings up some 4000 results, but if you scroll down to the bottom and click 'image list' you can look at all the logos together.
    Of course, this is assuming it is US brand, and was trademarked.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2015
    Lark Aspen likes this.
  3. Lola And Black

    Lola And Black Registered Guest

    Thank for your your reply. This is definitely not a contemporary garment from 5-10 years ago.I didn't include a backstory on this garment because most people tend to TL/DR more than a few sentences but here goes:

    This was purchased at an estate sale in San Francisco and the woman was a hippie who had accumulated racks and racks of hippie dresses, skirts, blouses, etc. Some of it was ethnic and had the early Cost Plus label inside. Other pieces were quilted and hand stitched. A lot of it had not been stored properly and the entire house was in a fug of pot smoke so most items had to undergo a good soaking & I did have to discard a few after closer inspection. The blouse in question was paired with a quilted jacket that has the same painted design. The jacket had faded down the side of one sleeve so badly that I ended up donating it. Both garments had the teddy bear label sewn to the inside side seam. The size label and Made in India label with WPL number were intact but the designer name had been snipped out. This is where it gets weird. The WPL number was 7110 which led me to...Sportwhirl.

    Now looking at pictures of Sportwhirl clothing, you don't see anything like the garment I have pictured. So it was either produced at the tail end of the company's life (around 1977) or the garment was imported by Sportwhirl and a local designer added the painted designs and his/her own label. It is made of very thin cotton and the paint on the blouse is thick and stiff. These types of fabrics tend to be fragile and don't survive well over the years which is why the hippie dresses made of gauzy cotton now sell for hundreds of dollars. I was disappointed at having to discard the jacket but I didn't think I had the time and skill to try and apply fabric paint to the jacket and touch up the faded areas which were shaded in the same manner as the blouse.

    I was hoping someone might be able to ID the teddy bear label since it is quite unusual. It is possible that it was a local SF designer that was not very prolific. I'll check the trademark database to see if anything comes up but in the meantime if anyone has seen similar please post it here. Thank you!
     
  4. Retro Ruth

    Retro Ruth VFG Member Staff Member

    It looks like Sport Whirl by Jeanne Campbell did do some Indian Hippy-esque garments in the 70s. Here are two examples:

    This on Etsy shows the Sport Whirl label, but no teddy bear. You can compare to your label.
    Code:
    https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/224232299/1970s-block-print-india-cotton-bohemian
    This one on Pinterest, the link to the original site doesn't work, but the pinterest tag calls it like Sport Whirl by Jeanne Campbell
    Code:
    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/509891989034087544/
    This site on Jeanne Campbell for Sport Whirl in the 70s says:
    "On the more feminine side were her India printed wrap skirts (some with sequin accents) and halter wrap dresses."

    I don't think the painted design can have been added afterwards, it looks like it goes under the seams so would have been on the fabric originally.

    Perhaps the teddy bear was a store tag, rather than a designer.

    I chuckled at that. I guess that's an occupational hazard for dealing in hippy clothing.
     
    cotmyey likes this.
  5. Pinkcoke

    Pinkcoke Alumni

    Ruth could be onto something - we have known second hand shops here to add their own label (and remove or sew over the original, sadly) but this is a contemporary shop.

    Do you have photos of the cut off labels and the other side of where the teddy bear label is attached?
     

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