New York's First Textile Month is Here

September marks the first ever New York Textile Month, with 31 days of presentations, events, talks, and installations. This month is particularly appealing to us at Smilow because we’re constantly looking to textile designers for exciting ways to bring our enduring furniture into the current aesthetic. With the constant flow of inspiration through social media, now is a time when fashion, design, and furniture are able to pull ideas from each other—textiles are as relevant as ever. One talk we’re really looking forward to is The “Heritage of Handcraft as an Inspiration to Marimekko Print Design”, a presentation by Artwork Studio Manager Petri Juslin, which discusses how hand printing influenced pattern design in the mid-century (Tuesday, September 20th from 5 to 7pm). As Textile Month founder Lidewij Edelkoort explains: “We simultaneously experience a return of the interest in textiles and their cultural expressions. Fashion design starts to focus on fabric, interior design brings back upholstery, and art students reach out to the loom. There is a renewed interest in material processes and an urgency to understand what fabric is made of. In the USA the production of textiles has long been lost but begins to make a timid come-back, crafting and producing all American products with local yarns and fibers; weaving the weft of tradition with the warp of innovation.”

Below, see five ways customers have customized our Rail Back Armchair through the use of unique textiles.