Received this fabulous end roll of fabric with one of my job lot hauls! I do think it is linen, I have had a look at the fabric resource for linen and it does look very similar. I did the burn test and it burned a medium slow, keeping the flame and turning to ash. The width is approx 49" and it is quite think, seems to be an upholstery or coat fabric. CORRECTION It actually came with a haul of mostly 80s and 90s Japenese designer clothing such as Issey Miyake, although the fabrics were below the rail and I am unsure if the provenance is the same. I also have two amazing large offcuts (i have to measure them but they are approx 4-5 meters each) and I believe they are cashmere angora blend worsted. I will start a new thread about them soon. For this fabric I'd be very grateful if anyone could chime in with their expertise Pictures below Questions are for approx vintage age? And fabric?
your 4th image looks like it may have some slubbing (suggesting linen) but that weave can be used for cotton, as well. it's difficult to date striped fabrics as they have been popular over decades of time. it sure is a gorgeous bolt of fabric!! maybe @denisebrain will have some ideas for you...
Cotton and linen are both possible, but this certainly looks like heavy cotton with some intentional variations in the thicknesses of the yarns. I assume you've already looked for any identification on the tube or selvedge. It certainly is beautiful stuff that would look great upholstering a mid-century sofa, but I couldn't say the year.
That is a great find. As others have said, judging from a photo can be hard. It sure does look like pure linen, but could be a blend with cotton or rayon/viscose. If the colors are true in your photos, it makes me think of 1970s. Another test for linen is to drop a droplet of water on the surface and see how it reacts. Cotton will absorb and spread out the water spot, linen will absorb but hold the water line in place, no or little expansion. Of course, so many of the mid century fabrics had Scotchguard or other water repellant treatments, making the test results voided.
Great advice! I have not yet checked the tube! I will take it off the roll to measure it and see if I can find anything
Great I will double check with the water test and report back, I guess it will only confirm it's a cotton if the water is absorbed but not if treated, but it's helpful none the less in wittling it down!
Brilliant! I literally only used two strands as the fabric is very thick so it did leave a skeleton... I shall repeat the test and watch more closely and report back!
Oh gosh, i'm so super excited, I found some stamps on the fabric, and something hand written, it's so hard to decipher them. I think the bold working reads 'Textiles Committee' but other than that it is very difficult to make out. I wonder if anyone recognises them? Oh also I completely forgot to add that this was a part lot not in an earlier haul but it a haul of vintage Japanese clothing, such as Issey Miyake. I also did the burn test again, it looks like the ash is individual strands I also did the water test, the droplet sort of stay on the surface with some being absorbed Noticed some more natural? slubbing as I unrolled it There is approx 5.5 meters so it will definately be enough for a small upholstery project. Pictures below
You've probably found this already but this looks promising... www.textilescommitte.nic.in/history The large round stamp on your fabric could be an earlier version of the stamp shown on this document. Yours has what appears to be two stars within the words in the perimeter, while the current stamp has only one star. (Is that word around the perimeter of the large circle on your fabric HANDWOVEN?) Also, the smaller round symbol next to the words TEXTILES COMMITTE on your fabric has a similar little "tail" at the lower right of the circle, like the red symbol on the upper left of the document.
I actually have an Issey Miyake jacket that I wear that is similar to this fabric. I bought mine 2nd hand over 15 years ago from a jewelry dealer colleague who had it for sometime...her sister had given it to her. Not exactly like yours but similar. I would say 80s. It is a very baggy cut, as it states M but is super roomy...very comfy with fairly deep side pockets. It is a blend, 55% cotton, 35%wool and 10%nylon.
fwiw, there are 2 "e"s in committee, so that might make a difference for the search results, too. and it does look like "handwoven" MJ, that's exactly the kind of look that came to my mind when she mentioned Issey Miyake. just love it!
@The Vintage Vendeuse thank you so much, I had found the site but not the actual pictures of stamps etc. I do have a feeling that there is a date on the print after it states the number 27... I want to say it says 1986 or 1992 but I think my brain may be making it up as wishful thinking! @poppysvintageclothing That is gorgeous! and yes, of course, I see the similarity, thank you for sharing this gorgeous piece . I am a big fan of Issey Miyake, a true fashion genius! The lot with this fabric had five Issey Miyake pieces, three from the plantation range (80s) One from the Permanente range (80s) One Tunic (80s) so it's right about the same time. All three of the Plantation pieces are linen blend (80 linen/20 nylon, if i remember rightly), the men's shirt is a cotton or cotton blend and the Permanente pieces is a mixed of about four fabrics I think including cotton linen & nylon. @The Vintage Merchant Thank you for your vote for the wording 'handwoven' it's exciting! I have more research to do, I am going to see if I can find any Issey Miyake vintage pieces in this exact fabric, which is a bit of a long shot, but I do enjoy the research. Will report back my findings!
It reminds me of bedford cord from my textile kit which is usually 50% cotton and 50% polyester...here is a photo. Gorgeous!
I found tons of similar stripe fabric garments by Issey especially from the 80s but plenty from the 70s and 90s too. I suppose the most likely possibility is that the fabric was not made for Issey Miyake, the collector may have bought something very similar for their own projects. Also possible, though less likely, is that it is an Issey Miyake fabric which was used only for a couple of garments which are not coming up in searches, or that it was used in samples and never made the grade..
