Bespoke Collection

The Bespoke Collection is Unika Vaev’s newest textile introduction. The name of the collection hints at its origins. A bespoke suit is one that is custom made for the person who will wear it. Every detail is deliberately selected, from the fabric to the notch of the lapel.

The two patterns in the Bespoke Collection, Windsor and Hanover illustrate this caliber of design. The contrast of the stripes as twill ribbons gleaming against the depth of the background is a deliberate detail, chosen to highlight the beauty of the lambswool used to weave the fabric. The juxtaposition of colors gives each combination a rich luminosity that would not be possible without custom dying.

In keeping with Unika Vaev’s ongoing commitment to create truly environmentally responsible textiles without compromising the beauty, functionality or lushness that one expects from high quality fabric, the Bespoke Collection is woven from 100% lambswool with no added finishes. Wool is the original contract fiber, proven to be extremely durable and long wearing over many years. In addition to its durability, wool is also tremendously versatile and can be used in a variety of textile applications ranging from the traditional, such as upholstered furniture and walls, to the latest technologies of heat bonding and laser cutting. The dyestuffs used to give Windsor and Hanover their vivid colors are free of heavy metals and known toxins. The fiber content of each pattern is homogenous, therefore these textiles can re-enter the production cycle as a postconsumer material at the end of their time as upholstery.

The theme of the Bespoke Collection is a modern essay on stripes. Stripes are perhaps the most basic element of textile patterning, yet they are also the most versatile. In the development of these patterns, Unika Vaev’s Director of Design, Ashley Allen Short, engaged in a detailed exploration of the incidental stripes of everyday life. Stripes are found almost everywhere, in items as rarified as Depression-era Gibson guitars and as common as the roll-down security gates of urban storefronts. Modern dress is a mélange of stripes: shirts, scarves, suits, sneakers. Most people work amid a mix of stripes: bookshelves full of books, legal pads, vertical files and computer wires. In the Bespoke Collection, stripes run up the roll, interlock into plaids and are embellished with Unika Vaev’s signature ‘unique weaves’. This attention to detail distinguishes Unika Vaev’s approach to modern textiles.