If you haven’t noticed yet, quilts are key to Worth’s product line up! From our bestselling Cocoon Jacket to our Spring 2022 capsule “Quilty Goodness”, we show our love for quilts, craft and patchwork on the regular—and it is no coincidence! In this article, we will talk about the cultural importance of quilts, their presence in end-of-use textile streams and finally, why all of us here at Worth are so in love with them!

Quilt and Handicraft Culture

With examples dating back to the Medieval period and earlier, quilts have been a symbol of protection and warmth throughout human history. Passed down from generation to generation, they come in all shapes and sizes, with the intentions of practical use as a bedspread in a home, or the commemoration of an important event, even a visual, artful statement about social injustices and a call for change1. We see them displayed everywhere from our own bedrooms, to fine art galleries and museums, community worship spaces, and most recently, on the runways and red carpets of New York and Paris (did you see A$AP Rocky’s Met Gala outfit?!)2.

With most of us living almost exclusively in our homes for the past two years due to the pandemic, there has been a resurgence in what is traditionally known as “handicraft” or a return to basic domestic practices that our grandparents were so familiar with. Etsy, an online marketplace dedicated to handmade and vintage goods saw a record $1.7 billion in company revenue during the first year of the pandemic (2020), effectively doubling its revenue from the year before3. We are seeing the value in traditions or craft that in pre-COVID times may have been seen as less important because of capitalist drive for cheap, factory-made, ultra-consumable products. While this love of shopping and cheap, consumable goods is still present, we continue to see a persistent trend toward handmade goods.

Giving Pre-Loved Quilts New Life

As a brand, Worth is on a mission to find solutions for the constant flow of clothing and textile donations that do not sell in the Goodwill retail shops. One of our first research initiatives was to identify what types of clothing and textiles were in excess, and how we might be able to repurpose them. Quilts and bedding were top of the list, inspiring one of our original products ‘The Cocoon Jacket’. This Spring, to continue our efforts in diverting textile waste, our design team dedicated an entire capsule collection to quilts called “Quilty Goodness”. When picking textiles for our clothing lines from Goodwill’s sorting facility, we find quilts of all shapes and sizes, colours and patterns, new and old, handmade and manufactured; each having their own story before landing in our studio. We are determined to honour their previous life by remanufacturing them into high-quality, intentionally designed and ethically made garments that are sure to last, making many new memories along the way.

Our Quilted Totes in the Worth design studio

Giving Pre-Loved Quilts New Life

A few weeks ago, we sat down with our Associate Designers Jane Luu and Crystal Yi to chat about our new collection, sustainability in the fashion industry, and their experience as emerging designers. When developing the key concepts for this line, Jane and Crystal knew that they wanted to reflect the current state of the world, specifically creating pieces that would be perfect for both working from home and returning to the “real world”. “Quilty Goodness” focuses on the concept of “wellness”, or as Jane puts it, “a collection that’s inspired by people’s desire to heal after going through two traumatic [pandemic] years”, she also noted that quilts were used to create a “comfy, cozy”, safe feeling, continuing to reflect on the process of healing. The items in this collection could be described as elevated loungewear—perfect for wearing at home and cozying up with a good book, but also ready to make the transition to everyday life with you, whether that’s work, school or a night on the town. Let’s take an in-depth look at three pieces from the Quilty Goodness line: our Cloud 9 Quilted Jacket and Short Set, Heart Tie-Back Top and Quilted Tote.

Cloud 9 Quilted Jacket and Short Set

This is without a doubt the stand out piece from our “Quilty Goodness” Collection. Preloved quilts are selected from donation, washed, cut and stitched by hand on our sewing platform in London Ontario to create this ultra-comfy set which comes in pastels and vibrant colours to reflect both the changing seasons and the optimism in reopening. Jane Luu gives us a little more insight below:

Heart Tie-Back Top

The Heart Tie-Back Top is fashioned from repurposed 100% cotton dress shirts, coming in many colours and patterns. The idea was to create a top that evokes love and wellbeing in its heart-shaped body, extending to its adjustable back and shoulder ties to create the perfect fit. This top will transition with you; from a casual, summery day with friends to school or work simply by adding a turtleneck or other top underneath. Jane demonstrates this perfectly in the above video, where she is wearing our Heart Tie-Back Top in mauve pinstripes overtop of a black turtleneck, paired with corduroy high-rise bottoms.

The Heart Tie-Back Top paired with the Cloud 9 Jacket and Short Set

Quilted Tote

We took your standard tote bag to the next level—and it’s definitely become an on-the-go essential! Just like the Cloud 9 Set, we’ve selected preloved quilts and transformed them into this super durable, roomy tote, that PERFORMS. Associate designer Crystal Yi tells us that this is her favourite item from the collection—hear more from her in the following clip:

Thanks for catching-up with us, we’ve got so much more planned this Spring....maybe even another drop?! (hint hint). Make sure to follow our socials to stay in the loop about new collections, giveaways, sustainable tips and tricks and so much more. If you have any questions or comments about this post, previous posts or anything else, message us via email (info@seetheworth.com) or Instagram (@see_the_worth). We are always excited to hear from you and to answer any burning questions you might have!

Sources

• V&A Museum - An Introduction to Quilting and Patchwork
• Vogue - A$AP Rocky and ERL’s Rule Breaking Quilt Captured the Essence of American Fashion
  
• The New York Times - What We Learned from a Year of Crafting