Feature: Where Fashion Designers Materialize

Where Fashion Designers Materialize Some envision couture fit for the runway; others see slow fashion made for long life. Yet even designers with distinctly different styles, are likely to have one thing in common: their fabrics, feathers, rhinestones and leathers came from Fabric Row.

by Martha Morowitz

While Fabric Row, the area of 4th Street from Bainbridge to Catharine streets, has seen a good many of its textile storefronts replaced by other ventures, it still remains a destination in the city and beyond. Here on the Row, neighbors meet for coffee or a meal, run errands, and pick up groceries. Recently named “Best City Shopping Destination” by Philadelphia Magazine, the street is evolving, with intriguing new businesses popping up while older stores just seem to get better.

Let’s take a peek at a few of the fashion centered establishments that have staked their claim on the street in the last ten years. Their presence has added to the small town feel of Queen Village, while pumping up the fun factor with some very alluring fashion and fabric!

One of the unique offerings along the street is Steel Pony, a beautifully appointed boutique featuring women’s clothing, handbags and accessories. All the store’s clothing is “individually created and dyed by hand,” onsite by the husband and wife team of Joanne Litz and Dennis Wolk. They have been committed to sustainability since the business started in 1992, producing high quality,

Steel Pony, 758 S. 4th Street, Queen Village.

Photo by Riley Loula

slow fashion [the movement of designing and creating garments for quality and longevity; encouraging slower production schedules, fair wages and (ideally) zero waste], with pieces that are meant to be enjoyed for years. This fashion design duo have “30-year customers, including many from Europe, who still wear clothes they bought long ago,” says Wolk.

Litz is the artist behind the clothing designs. Her work has a distinctive flair with its detailed construction, the sumptuous drape of the natural fabrics, and lush shibori dye [Shibori is a Japanese dyeing technique involving folding, twisting or bunching cloth and binding it, before the dyeing process.] One of the hallmarks of the apparel line is that everything can be dressed up or down, looking equally fabulous whether worn with stilettos or sandals.

Not to be missed is the collection of alternative wedding wear that Litz made for a show at Dilworth Plaza not long ago. The elegant dresses are subtly embellished, ren

dered in luminous hues of off white. Even the specially made labels are tiny treasures. The gorgeous clothing is complimented by luxe, unique handbags, designed and expertly crafted by Wolk. Hand sewn in a variety of leathers, some are done in buttery, plush deer skin, others accented with snake skin or highly textured, nubby ostrich. The purses are artfully displayed on individual shelves, and bathed in pools of soft lighting. It is an exhibit worthy of a high-end gallery, and a reminder that the handbags and clothing created at Steel Pony are truly wearable art.

When asked about the store’s name, Wolk explained that it is an homage to the invention of the sewing machine, dubbed steel ponies because they are the workhorses of the garment trade. Though not intentional, it is ironic that Steel Pony would wind up on Fabric Row. When you see the window at Oxymoron Fashion House, it is immediately apparent that this design house is something special. The little jewel box store always has a clever, engaging display. One recent vignette featured the mannequins styling each other’s hair, another had the mannequins wearing animal heads! No matter the beguiling theme of the showcase, the forms are always clothed in beautifully tailored, original designs.

A Philly native, proprietor Monica Monique is the witty, ingenious force behind

Fleishman Fabric & Supplies, 737 S. 4th Street, Queen Village.

Photo by Riley Loula

Oxymoron. After getting her Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, she worked for a clothing manufacturer in New York City, then, returning to her roots, worked with a premier vintage clothing store in Rittenhouse Square. After gaining valuable experience, she knew it was time to open her own shop.

Monique’s vision is to create gowns for special occasions. Brides and prom bound young women flock to the atelier for her one-of-a-kind, glamorous frocks. Custom bridal orders may start a year out, and prom requests start to come in January. Clients arrive at Oxymoron, where Monique takes measurements and discusses design. The next step is to peruse fabric and trim in the neighboring shops, and once the dress has been sewn, there will be two fittings (possibly three for a bridal gown).

Demand for creations from Oxymoron is strong, and for busy prom and bridal season, Monique employs high school and college level interns. She finds it rewarding to mentor young people, noting that “for a lot of these kids, it is their first time actually working in their field of study - fashion design.”

There is something for everyone at Oxymoron. Not planning a wedding, or your prom days are over? You can find plenty of exquisite ready-to-wear cocktail dresses, funky denim, and highly original outfits to wear this weekend. “Oxymoron is the perfect last-minute stop to get a vibrant look for any special event!” Monique says. Fleishman Fabrics is a beehive of activity, the many customers perusing over 5,000 bolts of fabric on display. Third generation owner, Joshua Fleishman, attributes the hustle and bustle to a confluence of factors: The enthusiasm of makers and crafters; the fact that Philadelphia has the largest concentration of fashion design degree programs in the country (Drexel, Moore College of Art, the Fashion Institute of Philadelphia, Jefferson Textile Design to name a few); the city’s robust drag queen and burlesque culture; even Continued next page

the Mummers. Add to this mix serious designers shopping for fabric and trim to make bridal, prom, and formal gowns headed for red carpet events (The Met Gala! The Oscars!), and you’ve got a devoted following for your business.

The frenzy is fed by the ubiquitous presence of social media. In a bit of circuitous logic, Instagram accounts promote the pageantry of Prom Season (apparently there is a scholarship awarded for the best “Promposal” - ask your kids, if you need an explanation), which pretty much echoes the Instagram accounts touting who wore what during the previous Award Season. Between the two annual fêtes, customers bring photos on their phones, trying to duplicate what celebrities have worn. This makes for some lively commerce in what is known as the Glitz and Glam room—where broad counters are surrounded by bolts of sequined, rhinestoned and feathered fabrics, some costing from $100 to $200 a yard.

Surveying the scene, Joshua says he and his father, Stanley, often wonder what founders Harry and Sylvia Fleishman would think of this modern iteration of their dry goods business (in the early 1930’s, the couple sold staid, woolen suiting from the trunk of their car). Stanley thinks they would be proud of the new store, and probably amazed at the Glitz and Glam room with its fancy, bright and sparkly goods. But Joshua? He’s not so sure. The customers, though – they know what they want, and they clearly love what Fleishman’s is selling!

Fabric Row has become an official shopping destination by sticking to its roots while welcoming newcomers to the scene. This winning combination is one of the many reasons Queen Village continues to be a marvelous place to call home. ■ Continued from previous page

Seamless Fashion Connections For a Manayunk designer, Fabric Row is a perfect fit

by Martha Morowitz

Brenda O’Livis studied fashion design at the Maryland Institute College of Art, briefly leaving needle and thread behind to work in fashion retail before returning to her true calling: designing fashion.

O’Livis has cultivated deep, trusting relationships with Fabric Row merchants, relying on them to source unusual textiles and trim from across the globe for her couture designs, custom wedding gowns, and the materials required for the reverse-engineering she does for other designers (precision in design sample work is required to successfully create a line of factory-manufactured clothing).

Philadelphia Fashion Week is also close to her heart. Last September,

Photo by Brenda O'Livis Photo by Brenda O'Livis

O’Livis curated a selection of stunning gowns and dresses, believing that Philly is uniquely positioned to grow this unique clothing sector: a concentration of schools with fashion degree programs; a strong culture of makers and designers; and the covey of world-class suppliers of fabric, trim and notions – right here on Fabric Row.

O’Livis’ Spring collection includes a line of evening wraps featured in area boutiques and bridal stores. You’ll find them in Queen Village at The Wedding Factor at 125 South Street.

Philadelphia Sewing Company, 6109 Ridge Avenue, rear. ■

Competing at the Cutting Edge

Congratulations to Francesca Rivetti, owner of Follicle Studio, whose hair design collection made the final cut in the Avant Garde category at North American Hairstyling Awards in Los Angeles—the “Academy Awards” of the beauty industry.

The heady designs were conceived and styled by Francesca who credits her “amazing team that deconstructed dozens of commercial mops” to obtain the varying lengths of fibers needed.“ This was one of my favorite collaborations.”

The collection’s three wigs are currently featured in Follicle Studio’s window at 4th and Fitzwater streets. ■

Hair and Concept: Francesca Rivetti, owner of Follicle Studio

Photographer: Jason Chen, co-owner of Paradigm Gallery

Make-up Artist: Linda Charles

Model: Terri Lisa

Designer/Stylist: Kylie Stetler

Shoes: Bus Stop Boutique

Photography Location: Moon + Arrow (rareCo)

NAHA Avant Garde finalists reflect “good taste and aesthetically pleasing images, displaying fashion forward, unique and edgy styles.” Watch the video of Avant Garde finalists at http://bit.ly/FollicleStudio.

Francesca Rivetti, owner of Follicle Studio, walked the red carpet in Los Angeles at January’s NAHA competition. Photo provided by Follicle Studio.