This month, textile brand Schumacher debuted its Schumacher Studio capsule collection of limited-edition linen upholstery where—for the first time—everything was produced in-house from beginning to end. “We wanted to get back to being creators and makers,” Pamela Marshall, director of design, said.
This eventually spawned the idea of creating one silkscreen and one block-print pattern, both two-tone and offered in two color ways, Marshall explained. The brand typically taps expert artisans from across the globe to produce top quality fabrics and wallpapers, but this newest project has scaled down the international powerhouse to its handmade, New York roots.
“Even though hand-blocking is a very old technique, it's become a lost art in the United States,” Dara Caponigro, the brand’s creative director, added. “We wanted to highlight the perfection of imperfection that's inherent in the process.”
On a 50-yard-long table in a Brooklyn warehouse, craftspeople rolled out a single stretch of cotton linen from end to end. For the next five days they meticulously measured out the precise placement for the Iznik-motif block pattern called Jane and then for the floral silkscreen, Hilary.
“We have such a creative and collaborative studio,” said senior designer Hilary Pharr, who spearheaded her namesake silkscreen for this collection. “We’re encouraged to constantly experiment and think outside of the box, so we get to hand paint, draw and create original artwork.”
This time, however, they mixed their own paints to hand-roll the silkscreens, and in-house designer Jane McCurn even carved the handblock herself for her Jane pattern. The end product of 50 yards for each option is now available exclusively at their Atlanta and Manhattan showrooms.
Below, Departures provides a look behind this new line for the brand, which emphasizes a total hands-on approach from design to development.
To the trade, from $300 per yard; 404-261-2742 for Atlanta; 212-415-3900 for New York; fschumacher.com.
