In August 1988, Alexandria Textiles, Inc. was born as the engine for Jane Porter's creative textile design. Jane's paternal grandfather, Joseph Najarian, a 1912 Olympian Gymnast from Alexandria, Egypt, came to the United States in the 1920's to start a silk ribbon mill in Greene, NY. Today, the Najarian family still runsthe last narrow goods mill in the USA: Najarian Manufacturing Company.
Jane Porter's passion for textiles began at an early age. Growing up near New York City, her grandmother, Ardemis Bedrosian, a fashion designer in her own right, taught Jane about excellent fabrics. Together they designed and sewed all of Jane's dance and party dresses in the 1950's and 60's. Jane always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and launched her first commercial line of clothing in 1968, making and selling dresses in egyptian cotton. A member of Colgate University's first coed class in 1970, she pursued costume design for the University Theatre. After careers in Nursing and Investment Management, she returned to her true love--textile design. Studying at Philadelphia Guild for Handweavers, she learned to spin, weave and dye with natural dyes, and then opened a school for the fiber arts in Chadds Ford, PA.
Mentor and Master Dyer Michele Wiplinger of Earthues, helped Jane focus her passion on printing fabric with natural dyes in the summer of 2000 during a master class in Michele's Seattle studio. Loving to dress up for work, she returned to her first love of fashion design. Her lines for the professional urban woman reflected a comfortable elegance in fabrics that travelled well. She is a member of Atelier Designers and One of a Kind Show.
On the following pages you can see the Jane's different collections that were sold in boutiques in the USA. Currently Jane is creating "Wild Feminine Fiber" fashion accessories which can been seen at www.janetexcat.etsy.com
Fashion Accessories with Sculpture by Gretchen Ewart
As a former client of Peclers Paris, I often check back to the site to see what it happening. Today I was delighted to find that any user can browse the site and learn trends they are forecasting for lifestyle and design. Just go to www. peclersparis.com, put in your location and sign up for the news letter. Spend time on the site exploring the inspirations, key themes, futura, the secret shop--the one I find fascinating. All I could think of today was how I would design my "Secret Shop"... and what clues I would leave for the discerning who want to push the envelope and seek out the edge of the flap.
Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:22:00 +0000 Rediscovering Treasured People Today I heard that Pookie Blezard is having a sale, 70% off! Pookie is one of the most creative textile designers I have met. She resides in London, designing some of the most out of the box, off the planet scarves and clothing I have seen. I had the opportunity to visit her in her studio during the last decade, just when she was getting a new textile printer. Crammed with fabrics all over the place, most she had designed and had printed, she demonstrated her technique of free motion on a very old but true single needle machine. She was always ahead of her time. Most everything she makes is one of a kind. I have been collecting her work for 15 years. If you come across a label that reads "Pazuki London", grab it.
Mon, 09 May 2011 22:52:00 +0000 An Educated Consumer is the Best Customer As I interact with more artists and collectors on the internet, I find that the educational service they are providing is fabulous. Here is a blog that discusses the different American costume jewelry manufacturers that once flourished in the 20th century. It is my hope that one day American will return to making great quality and that consumers will support our product.
