Heirloom Design

Happy Easter -- here's to a season of renewal and rebirth. I don't have much to say this morning, but here are a couple of links I've had flagged for a few days.

There's a wonderful article in the Los Angeles Times about Easter hats and the "church crown" tradition in African-American communities. The hats are so luscious! I don't think I could pull them off, but they must be a lot of fun to wear. And to make - they are works of art.

Allison Arieff has a new post on her New York Times blog about sustainable design. Designing Through a Depression is very thought-provoking. Arieff rarely talks specifically about textiles, but the questions she asks about design are transferable to art and textile disciplines, especially questions about the role of beauty in design, and if it's an appropriate priority. Um . . . is there any answer but yes? Beauty doesn't have to limit function; the beautiful functional object is the essence of artisanry.

Arieff talks about "heirloom design," a new term being used to describe the things we often discuss on this blog under the slow cloth umbrella -- a sense of authenticity, quality and timelessness. (Done well, these things don't have to boring - they can also be modern, provocative and exciting.) When you make a purchase, ask if it's something you would hand down to your children. We can ask the same of textiles; as Suzy Menkes said, the beautifully crafted sari handed down through generations is an example a true luxury in cloth.

And I think the bright, lyrical, beautifully crafted church hats on display this morning around the country qualify as heirloom design, too. Beauty serving spirit.

Comments

[Lainie]

Thank you Jude and MF for your great comments.

Hi Anaka - I'm back home and wanting to respond to your e-mail from last week! I started to write a long response and haven't finished it yet, but it's coming.

You make a great point about heirloom design (and I agree the name sounds a little stodgy). It's got to come down to buying only things you really love, and doing with less but better.

Speaking of sarees/saris - I remember years ago, seeing the most breathtaking saree in a store in NYC - it cost $800 and of course I didn't have it. I thought about charging it and didn't. Well, to this day, I'm haunted by that saree and wish I'd bought it. Meanwhile, I'm sure I have $800 worth of charges for things that are long gone. So - my point I guess - is that we have to change our way of thinking and buying so it comes from the heart, so we are collectors instead of consumers.

[Anaka Narayanan]

Yep- the hats are stunning!
And about heirloom pieces... just thinking aloud here- but isn't that whole concept either old-world-values or one that comes with a few generations of wealth? I'm all about quality and classy things that will last for long, but not everyone is. I know that when I got married and my mom went all over the city (and made phone calls all over the country) to get me the best pressure cooker for rice, steel kadais and vessels for cooking, and idli/dosa grinders, she found that many of the brands that she had been using for the past 40 years have now gone out of business and been replaced by cheaper ones. I know people who would prefer to use an inexpensive non-stick pan (which is so bad for Indian food!) rather than buy an expensive steel wok with a copper bottom. It's the same thing with sarees- it takes a few generations of wealth (and good taste) to invest in the heirloom pieces. Meanwhile, how do younger generations cultivate good taste when they are surrounded by the cheap stuff?

[Heather]

I read that article - the heirloom design concept reminded me of an architectural history professor I once had who lamented how all that was showing up was Tupperware architecture - would you really want to hand down your Tupperware to your grandkids?

[Mary-Frances Main]

Gorgeous! I LOVE those hats and I dearly wish I could pull one off!
I think "everything old is new again" with a sense of accomplishment in making and creating. It's wonderful to see!

[jude]

great new thought, heirloom design,great point about buying things...