Sorry for the lack of posts, but between the holiday and getting the AW10 collection ready, there’s little time to do anything besides TCOB (in Bodkin office parlance). One of the many time-consuming tasks is preparing all of the shibori-dyed T-shirts and bustiers for spring production (in stores soon!). This is no ordinary tie-dye. Each top is cut from 2 or 3 large panels of fabric. Each panel must be painstakingly measured and pleated, then hand-stitched using dental floss, which is then pulled tight enough to cause guitarist-grade calluses. We’ve all been chipping in on nights and weekends, and it’s almost time for the 80-odd pieces to take their bath in blue. Here is Willie—our new intern, and a brilliant textile artist in his own right—needling around at the studio.

These...

...become these.

Wuilson

Edgar

Last night I had the honor of speaking at Pecha Kucha, best described as a party with slide-show presentations. In trying to tell the story of my outfit, one of the stories I told was about who made it. Here, the first in a series to further the goal of transparency, are the guys at the factory who have done a lot of the work to make the Bodkin pieces on the racks right now.

Wuilson Quezada runs the factory on 39th Street and is one of the friendliest people I know. He came to New York from Ecuador 15 years ago, and three years after that started his own factory. He does pattern layout and cutting and computer pattern work (it all used to be by hand, but no more). Did you know that computers now determine where pattern pieces should be cut on the fabric so as to minimize fabric waste? Wuilson lives in New Jersey with his wife, a patternmaker, and 4-year-old son.

Edgar Lopez does sewing and pressing. He is also Ecuadorean and has been here for seven years. He lives in Upper Manhattan and says his favorite part about his job is his coworkers, who sing all day.

It’s nice to be on a first-name basis with the men who made your shirt. They were really excited about being photographed, by the way!