Hopestone News
Silk Matka (...you won't find this on Wikipedia)
In short, silk matka is our new best selling fabric. What? Why? I actually went to Wikipedia to look for a good description of silk matka only to find ... nothing. They've never heard of it. And yet, the importers, and certainly the silk manufacturers, have. And, thankfully, so have I.
So, without validation from the world wide web, you're left with my definition of it: Silk matka is a refined silk, roughly spun. The result is a linen-like texture with a hint of that famous silk sheen. Its practically a year-round fabric that is a suit-weight fabric without being stuffy ... and itchy. And, this is the best part, while it looks like linen, it won't wrinkle as badly as linen. Win. Win. Win.
I started experimenting with silk matka last spring in Ivory, Rust & Golden Olive - all colors I didn't have in wool flannel. The response was ok, but I kept hearing from more and more people who can't wear wool, or wanted to wear a lighter weight black jacket. So, not only did I add black this spring, but I added eggplant, teal and mustard, and most recently, brown. The black and the eggplant I haven't been able to keep in stock. The wearability of this unusual fabric is appealing to everyone, and black and that dark royal purple that is our eggplant have been crowd pleasers.
But now, may I present Brown. Brown silk matka is new to our shelves. It will make its first public appearance in Northampton, Massachusetts, Memoriial Day weekend. No one outside Hopestone Studio has seen it ... and I am already in love with it. We've made samples up in our Laurel and Rose styles combining it with Coral dupioni and in our Vine and Side Closure 2 styles combining it with Pink dupioni, and for fall, we've made it in our Kimono 3 style combined with Wine dupioni. I think the Side Closure 2 is my favorite. "It looks like nature," said one of our seamstresses.
I'm expecting Brown to be as much a crowd favorite as Black & Eggplant. Many times its a wing and a prayer with new ideas or colors, but sometimes, you just have a feeling ...
Please visit our online shop for photos of Brown in the Laurel, Rose, Vine, Side Closure 2 & Kimono 3. Please click on "Color" to view options. And, for goodness sake, if you are able, please come see me in Northampton Memorial Day weekend and see these lovely things for yourself!
A Jacket for the Price Tower, a.k.a. The Mary Lou Jacket
Sometimes really great special projects come along. This has been one of those times.
The Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright's only realized skyscraper, is one of our dearest neighbors in town and we have been thrilled to collaborate with them on a jacket.
For the origins of the idea, the print and the inspiration itself, I will simply direct you the the fabulous press release issued by the Price Tower Arts Center. It truly was a pleasure to be involved in this project.
The Mary Lou is a limited edition jacket.
Paula Deen has a new favorite scarf!
A childhood friend of mine won a cooking contest over the summer that thrust her into the midst of the Food Network world. She has since filmed with Paula Deen & Rachel Ray. Prior to one of the recent filmings, she contacted me about scarves. She wanted to wear one on camera with Rachel Ray (episode to air Tuesday night, 11/23/2010). When picking one out for Caryn, I picked scarves out for Paula & Rachel, too ... for good measure.
Caryn was kind enough to carry those scarves with her to New York last week and at least one of them was a hit. Paula wore hers to a much publicized promotional event at Barneys NY on Thursday night.
The best photos can be found here: http://worldredeye.com/2010/11/barneys-schragers-foodie-holiday/comment-page-1/#comment-3143
More can be found by googling "Paula Deen Barneys".
She's wearing the Wide Ruffle Scarf in Pool Silk Chiffon. It is also available in Plum, Rust, Lavender, Loden, Bisque & Black.
Happy Holidays!
Fall is just around the corner
In the midst of this crazy heat wave here in NE Oklahoma, we're making wool jackets. We have orders to fill and ship to locations in the North East and in the North West that are prepping their racks for customers ready to switch from short sleeves to long. And we love it. I can't wait to wear sweaters and jackets again, but, even my travel schedule won't allow it. I go to Las Vegas in August for the Women's Wear Daily Magic wholesale show. Las Vegas in August isn't the best vacation idea, but from a work perspective, its a big deal. There will be fashion shows all over the city. The Convention Center (where we will be), Mandalay Bay, The Venetian, all will be filled with clothing, shoe & accessories vendors showing all their best products. Oddly enough, we're showing very near Lauren Vidal, Lauren Hansen and Elliott Lauren. I'm now triple glad I named the company Hopestone Studio. All those Laurens could get confusing. The show isn't for another few weeks, so amid all those wool jackets we're making right now, I'm going to try to make a couple more new styles ... and cross my fingers that they'll show well in the dessert.
We've Moved!
Almost 3 months later, our grand idea to move downtown to a swanky new location with gallery space has come to pass. As is typical, we planned down to the millisecond and moved before the space was ready. Because of a phenomenally understanding construction crew, we moved as planned despite the remaining renovation needs and are making jackets amid electricians, plumbers and painters. Thanks to a phenomenal landlord, the new space is amazingly beautiful. We're humbled and awestruck by the fact that it is ours and promise to be good stewards of such a fantastic space. Shipping and the book-keeping are the last of the the normal operations yet to be resumed and that should be remedied tomorrow. We still have boxes to unpack and shelves to organize but we'll be ready for visitors next week - come see us!
Recent Special Orders
We've had a thankfully busy Spring. We've shipped to a bunch of new customers and been pleasantly surprised by reorders from many of them so soon after shipment. Our busy production schedule and upcoming move (June 4th!) has made us a little behind in formally photographing our current work, but, we do have snapshots! (you may have to copy and paste the link below into your browser...)
http://picasaweb.google.com/LaurenKDun/HopestoneStudio#
Please ignore the erratic lighting and inconsistent sizing - its amateur, for sure. Hopefully it will give you a sense of what's selling now and the some of the different colorways available.
Yes. We're Moving!
Since the very beginning, one of my grand ideas for Hopestone Studio was to move it from the little church on the west side of town to a space downtown that would be more accessible to the community and would provide gallery space where the clothing could be showcased and I could host trunk shows for other artists.
I searched the downtown area, peeking in empty storefronts, thinking about traffic and location, and finally decided which space would best suit my needs. I sent an email to the owner, Patricia, in December, she was busy but suggested we talk in January, I agreed and then watched my cash flow dwindle as we got further into Christmas and January Sale days. That's normal for Dec & Jan, but still unsettling. Knowing the expense of moving alone, not to mention increased rent and necessary renovations, I dropped the idea. Then I ran into Patricia at a local charity event at the end of January.
“You need to come talk to me,” she said.
In December, Patricia had been in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on business. She decided to do some Christmas shopping and went into one of her favorite stores there. From across the room, a vest caught her eye. She tried it on. The fit and color were perfect. She looked at the label. Hopestone Studio. Had I not sent her that email, she would not have recognized the name. It was time to pursue this idea.
So, with the qualification that I could not commit until I knew what orders market would bring at the end of February, we began discussions of rent, renovations, and timeframes.
And then market exceeded, blew away, my expectations.
So, with a nod to Fate, who made it possible for me a year ago to buy this business and manage all the logistical minutia related to quitting, selling, moving, buying, moving again and buying more, I have agreed to walk through yet another door Fate has opened for me.
We will move the studio at the end of May. Our immediate plans for the gallery space will be to host a showcase event for OK Mozart, and we’re thrilled and honored to host their Patron’s Party as well, in mid-June. In late August, we will show the works of print maker, Debbie Little-Wilson, http://www.dlittlewilson.com/ , and woodcarver, Ed Prybil, http://www.edpribyl.com/ , coordinated by Women’s Network in honor of the 90th anniversary of women’s suffrage. In the fall, we will show works by Gina Panorfi, http://www.ginapannorfi.com/ , and Helma Mezey, http://www.retrose.com/. And behind the gallery walls, we will, of course, be making jackets and scarves the whole time. We can’t wait.
So bring on the logistical minutia. We are ever so thankful for the opportunity and constantly reminded that: “The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.” -- Joseph Campbell
Special thanks to Patricia Romines, Ellen Heald, Terri Dearman, the Knightsbridge group, Scott Ambler, Tom Dunlap and Dunlap Construction, for believing in my grand idea and making it all happen. Something tells me I'll be thanking you for years to come.
Hello 2010!
The last four months have been a challenge, to say the least. During that time, we’ve shown in three other states, had three events in Oklahoma, been to a fabric show in Dallas and developed five new styles to add to our Spring line. Thankfully, our wholesale accounts were mostly silent during this time, allowing us to concentrate on all of the above. I kid.
Our wholesale accounts are our lifeblood. And we have missed them terribly. Cash flow becomes a primary concern when they stop ordering, but, ‘tis the season. Shops stock up in November in anticipation of December sales and then sell at a discount in Jan & Feb so they can order all new for the new year in March. All this makes perfect sense. And as a supplier, we plan, and we wait.
The waiting paid off at the wholesale show in Baltimore the last week of February. (photo: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5022166&id=138909283905) Not knowing at all what to expect, it was a wonderful surprise to see that everyone was ready to buy. But best of all, the line struck a chord (a good one) with plenty of people. Over the next 6 months we will be shipping to 9 new accounts in 5 new states. Most of the orders requested shipment ASAP … presenting a little bit of a production problem, but not a bad problem to have. We can do it and we’re happy to have to try.
I’ll be adding the new accounts to the Where To Buy page as shipments go out and in the next month I hope to get photos of the new styles on the Gallery page. (Coordinating models, photographers, weather & inventory is like trying to align the planets). In the meantime, we go to the wholesale show in Dallas March 25th where we hope to add more accounts to the Hopestone family.
A Little Local Press
Not only did the Bartlesville Trunk Show on November 5th and the Tulsa Trunk Show on November 12th go well, but this morning we appeared on the front page of the business section of our local newspaper and couldn't be more pleased with the write-up!
http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2009/11/15/business/bus291.txt
I'm off to the Ft. Myers Holiday Art Market on Thursday of this week with scarves, neckties and new jacket styles in tow.
Our Dear Joyce
Joyce lost her battle with cancer today. Her husband, Rod, set up a blog just yesterday to let people know about her rapid decline over the weekend at the family farm in Michigan. We received a phone call this morning about it with news that it would be a matter of days. The next phone call just a few hours later brought news that it would just be a matter of hours. And then we received the third phone call.
Rod's words tell the story best: www.joyfog.blogspot.com
Hopestone Studio is missing its founder, its friend and its mentor tonight, Joyce Fogle. The world, thousands of closets in it, and we are much better off for Joyce having been here, regretably for far too short a time...
