Leavers Lace: Named from the inventor of the machine that produced it, John Lever, in Nottingham in 1813. It was an adapted version of the Bobbinet machine. The name of the machine was the Leavers machine (the 'a' was added to aid pronunciation in France). Calais Lace: In the early 19th century, a group of British ‘tulle’ manufacturers from the Nottingham area emigrated to the continent to escape a period of economic unrest, taking their distinctive techniques with them. Many settled in Calais and there resulted in a boom in the Lace industry. There is also Corded Lace and Eyelash lace which is self-explanatory when you look at their design. When I began designing my first collection in 1975, lace and in particular colour matching silk was a big part of the process. I would make test batches, dying at home, or gather samples of ribbon in the colour I wanted. I would then take it to The English and French Dyeing company, which opened up after WW1, based in Acton. The two guys running the place, who were in their 80s, were very busy fulfilling orders for the Royal Opera at the time. I was reluctant to try gifting them with lingerie to get to the top of their queue, but it was the way to go and my five rolls of natural silks became Palest Pink Peach, Milky Coffee, Ivory ( not dyed but whetted and stretched) Hot Coral, and Eu de Nil.
1 Comment
|
A Bias ViewBlog by Keturah Brown Lingerie. Heritage brand designer of exclusive lingerie for over 45 years.. Archives
August 2022
Categories |