Blast From the Past: Vintage Fabric
In 2001, Americans discarded around 9.8 million tons of textiles into the waste stream—up from 1 million tons in 1960—accouting for 4 percent of landfill waste, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Clothing and footwear alone tallied up to 6.7 million tons. Of these, only 930,000 tons were recovered for export or recycling.
Like it or not, every time we buy something new, we’re contributing to the waste stream, simply because everything, unless it’s completely biodegradable, has to end up somewhere eventually. More often than not, that “somewhere” is a greenhouse-gas-spewing, space-hogging landfill. Couple this fact with the surging popularity of styles from bygone eras in our history, and you have a corresponding revival in the use of vintage fabrics, which should not be confused with vintage-inspired textiles or vintage reproductions. Vintage and repurposed fabrics have little or no environmental footprint—their time (and ecological impact) has already come and gone—which is why green-minded companies such as aGaIN NYC (my personal favorite) are redefining what it means to have sustainable style. Here is just a selection of what some others are doing:
 I love Poppy Cotton’s limited-edition pillows, wall hangings, and lampshades crafted from vintage home linens and scarves, but they’re not for the weak of constitution—or wallet. Still, you gotta love a designer who was inspired by both The Stepford Wives (the 1975 original, I hope) and Rosemary’s Baby, resulting in a sublime collection of retro suburban gothic chic, quietly seething beneath a veneer of propriety and normalcy. ($45-$115, Poppy Cotton)
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 The New York-based BIBette’s Feast tailors vintage-fabric baby bibs “for modern kids” from a selection of vintage and reproduction fabrics. The bibs are backed with cotton terrycloth and are finished off with a vintage button, snap, or tie closure. ($16, BIBette’s Feast)
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 I usually prefer to limit my scope to North America for practical reasons, but this Australian company was too delicious to pass up. Dedicated to low-impact, environmentally friendly, and local production, Slingfings features a line of clothing and bags handmade in New South Wales off-the-grid using solar power. Its Retro Fabric Baby Carrier comes in a dizzying selection of attractive recycled or reclaimed vintage fabrics from the ’50s to the ’90s. Any other production materials, the company says, are 100 percent natural and sourced from local small businesses. (AUD$180, Slingfings)
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 Stitched together from funky double-knit fabric from the ’70s , this maisy daisy of a wallet from Two Busy Bees contains two credit-card-size compartments. The company also offers bags, pouches, and hairclips from a range of vintage fabrics. ($15, Two Busy Bees)
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 Better Homes and Gardens has instructions on how to sew your own lined carryall from vintage fabric. To locate genuine vintage fabric outside of thrift stores, estate sales, and your grandmother’s closet, eBay is the obvious choice. Some of my other favorite online sources include AntiqueFabric.com, eBay’s hipper kid sister Etsy, RustyZipper.com, Katie’s Vintage Kimono, Sharon’s Antiques, and Warm Biscuit. (If you’re ever in NYC, check out Brooklyn General for vintage cottons, plastics, and barkcloth.) For vintage trim, ribbons, and buttons, hit up Accessories of Old, Oh Bara, or Vintage Trims.
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Related article:
1. Everything Old is New Again
Melissa said,
August 30, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Yes! Yes! This is exactly what I love about sewing! New, sustainable fabrics aren’t always in the budget, so I am constantly on the prowl for fabric that I can re-purpose. While ironing one of my husband’s shirts yesterday (I don’t always do his ironing, mind you) I had to resist the urge to take a pair of scissors and cut it apart. I could have done so many things with it . . .
I LOVE truly vintage fabrics, especially western prints. The baby bib was right up my alley.
Cool stuff!
felicia sullivan said,
August 31, 2006 at 10:31 am
I adore Poppy Cotton! I first learned of them this summer when a friend (because I am a Rosemary’s Baby fanatic) clued me into the shoppe’s cool designs. I’m interested in some of the cool lamps and nifty throw pillows :)
The Worsted Witch » Refab said,
September 1, 2006 at 12:55 pm
[...] Related article: 1. Blast From the Past: Vintage Fabric [...]