DAN’S PAPERS
Page 52 May 31, 2013
danshamptons.com
Fischer (Continued from page 50) After Christopher’s successful sales adventures on the continent, he decided it was the right time to set up his own Scottish factory to set a new direction of modern and contemporary “Made in Scotland” cashmere sweaters. He chose property in Hawick in the Borders region of Scotland. “This was in 1980. Hawick is a valley town on the River Teviot, surrounded by downs and rolling hills. When I set up in Hawick, it was Ground Zero for Scottish cashmere, with Pringle, Barrie and Lyle & Scott all being based there. But it was also all about the water. The water that flows off the surrounding hills into the Teviot is so soft, which is one of the main reasons why this town became the Scottish capital for cashmere.”
“After we moved to New York from London, Joni and I would come out for spring and summer weekend trips, staying on Shelter Island.” Christopher explained further. “We only use Grade A cashmere fiber, which is generally about 35–38mm (about 1 ½”) in length. But before you can do anything, you first grade the raw fiber by color and length, then wash the raw fiber before you can process and dehair it. There are several stages of washing in the whole spinning and knitting processes. But it is the final washing of the completed
Take advantage of our prices to custom build new, or expand or add onto your existing home
$269,000 ON YOUR LAND 2,000 sq. ft., 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, open floor plan, 2 story entrance, gourmet kitchen, fireplace, master suite with whirlpool bath, central air, crown moulding. Call for a list of custom features.
146 Mill Road, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978 631-335-1535 www.HamptonsHomeBuilders.net
Built to energy star specifications as a minimum standard New construction, renovations, additions Architectural design and permit expediting 30+ years of experience; deal with owner directly Waterfront specialists
New York ENERGY STAR® homes use less energy, save money and help protect the environment
North Fork - Westhampton - Southampton - Bridgehampton - Water Mill - Sag Harbor - East Hampton 24922
26589
Call for a list of available locations where we can build for you!
William S. Novak, AIA
Huntington, NY
631.271.5400 ext. 103
sweater that it one of the most important to giving a finished cashmere sweater it’s soft and luxurious hand feel and touch. And that’s why the soft water in Hawick is so important. And why Scotch whiskey is so smooth.” Recalling his visits to Hawick, Christopher did an imaginary washing of his hands where we sat. He got his hands “wet” with water, then put on a little soap. “All you needed to do was literally just touch the soap,” he said. “And suddenly, quite suddenly, you have lather all over. The only other place I know with such soft water is Ireland.” Christopher set up new headquarters, with a showroom and a London based factory in an old Victorian grain warehouse in Spitalfields. He was 27 years old. And so, with this extraordinary product he was now producing in his own factories, he began to travel once again all over Europe, Japan and to the United States to find fine stores in which to sell his label “Christopher Fischer” cashmere. Among the stores in America he found were Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Paul Stuart and long-gone Bonwit Teller and Marshall Fields. It was during one of these trips to the United States that Christopher met the woman who was to be his future wife. “I was at the Designers’ Collective trade show in New York, and was invited to a pre-dinner party in Tribeca. I met Joni in the elevator, leaving the party with her date. I had been talking to her best friend Carol Brown for most of the evening without realizing it, and when I introduced myself she exclaimed that ‘Oh, so you’re 3 Ply,’ as this was a nickname I had acquired from my Saks Men’s DMM and VP, as we were making sweaters in a three-color, three-ply cashmere yarn for them. “A whole crowd, including Joni and her date, were leaving the party to go to dinner to celebrate her birthday. So Joni invited me to join them, but as I already had other dinner arrangements, I said I would join her for desert and drinks later. I arrived late to a crowded table of about 30–40 people, and miraculously as I entered there was an empty chair next to Joni. Joni saw, me enter and shouted, “3 Ply, come and sit down right next to me…” And that was it. I am not sure when her date left, but from the moment I sat down we did not stop talking. “I have to tell you, for the next few years we had a multi-year and very expensive and transatlantic courtship. She was in the fashion business, in sales and merchandising, and was based in New York. She grew up in Michigan. “We were married in London in 1988 at Brompton Oratory in Knightsbridge on December 30, which would have been my father’s birthday. We set up housekeeping in London.” In the mid-1980s, in the very early days after China was opened to the west, Christopher was invited by a Japanese cashmere spinning company looking to set up a joint venture, to travel with them to Inner Mongolia as a consultant. “This was my first trip to China,” he said. “The internal flight from Beijing up to Hohhot in Inner Mongolia was on (Continued on page 54)