Pendleton, The Portland Collection returns with its second season for Fall 2012.
Pendleton Woolen Mills, the Oregon-based company with origins dating back to 1863, presents its second season of The Portland Collection for Fall 2012. After the highly successful first season launch, The Portland Collection returns with its heritage-influenced designs for menswear, womenswear and home. With fabrics woven exclusively in Pendleton’s Northwest Mills and all of the apparel produced in theU.S.A., The Portland Collection continues to be a leader in the resurgence of domestic production.
Building upon the Fall 2011 foundation, this new collection has a wider range of woven styles, knits, accessories, and blankets. The design team of Nathaniel Crissman,Rachel Turk, and John Blasioli has created a completely exclusive fabric story for The Portland Collection this season. The expanded color palette and wider variety of fabric weights for Fall 2012 showcase the unique capacities of Pendleton Woolen Mills. Inspired again by the Pendleton archives, the designers reached back to the late 1800s and early 1900s to highlight the early square designs of that era. These designs predate looms that were able to create angular motifs, such as arrows, giving these new blankets and fabrics an excitingly innovative feel.
2012 promises to be another exciting year for The Portland Collection as it continues to illustrate its singular point of view within both the heritage and contemporary markets.
2011:
Pendleton Woolen Mills, a century-old Pacific Northwest company, has joined with Portland-based designers to create Pendleton, The Portland Collection.
This new label incorporates the vision of Mort Bishop, president of Pendleton, and a team of three designers (L to R above); Nathaniel Crissman, Rachel Turk and John Blasioli. They bring a “strong love of independent fashion as well as the spirit of Pendleton,” according to Nathaniel Crissman. “We looked to classic Pendleton fabrics as the foundation for the collection.”
The team immersed themselves in the company’s history and rich archives. “We’ve aimed to create a sophisticated and modern line using authentic Pendleton fabrics; our intent is to make it exciting, wearable and relevant. The archives allowed us to tap into Pendleton’s heritage while bringing our point of view to the brand.”
“Working with Pendleton has been a dream come true,” says Nathaniel. “We’ve always looked to them for fabrics for our own lines and imagined the possibilities of a collection like this…now it’s really happening.”
“This is an extraordinary coming together,” says Mort Bishop. “We will benefit from the innovation of these young designers and they will benefit from the experience of the brand. We are putting the power of our brand behind them and the result is nothing short of spectacular.”
The apparel collection is made in the USA. The Fall 2012 collection will have a full offering of women’s pieces, an expanded offering of men’s pieces, and a selection of shared pieces that work for both men and women. Along with scarves, bags, and four archivally inspired blankets, The Portland Collection for Fall 2012 is on the way.
