Recently, while chatting with a friend and fellow textile-folk, I started to think about country of origin. I, personally, tend to deal in fabrics that were born in countries like Korea and Japan while she works most often with cloth from the likes of India and China. As our discussion continued, we discovered that we each have our own opinions and ideas of what various countries have to offer. I started jotting a few things down and was intrigued by the prejudices associated with some. Now, don’t get your fabric in a wrinkle, I’m just throwing out a few points.
- Japan– beautiful quality fabrics but unless you need to outfit a small country, reaching their minimums is nothing short of impossible
- Korea– eventually gets the job done but only after 5 Strike-offs and “almost-but-not-exactly” sample yardage
- China– The Dollar Store of fabric manufacturers
- Italy– an elite air and booked a year in advance; or at least it feels like that long before they answer an email or ship an order. I think it’s all the siesta time!
- India– tend to yes you to death and then deliver something that looks like it’s being held together with tape and staples
- Turkey– I have no idea! Neither myself nor my bias counterpart have ever worked with Turkish manufacturers. Have you?
So, what do you think? Does any of this ring true to you? Are you among the opinionated when it comes to sourcing your textiles? Do tell.
Nicole
Yes, the folks in Italy do take long vacations, don’t they…but they sure do make beautiful fabrics!
Jennifer Dennard
You’re spot on with regards to Italy. It’s been my experience in dealing with textile companies based there that the entire country is closed during the summer. If only the States had a similar vacation policy!