Nothing Made in China ~ The Essence of the Quiet West Collection
It is not that I blame China for the coronavirus and subsequent economic woes – since I have been dedicated to collecting items that were not made in China for many years.
The primary reason I chose to do this – is to promote the better quality items from the designer’s original country of origin. In my opinion, it enriches the style of products, retains the artistic flair, and provides a range of products with superior quality, better fabric, and attention to detail. I have stayed away from mass produced fast fashion, as it was clear to me a long time ago, that it is rapidly filling up our landfills.
As a Canadian I wish to shine the light on, and promote Canadian fashion designers, since they are rich in history, and as talented as our European fashion rivals. Our best designers come from Montreal and Toronto. Even though Vancouver and the west coast is distanced from our large Eastern cities, so much that at times it seems we have little in common – we do share some of this rich Canadian heritage.
It has been a real pleasure to collect vintage items that were made in London in the sixties, and Japanese kimonos with their beautiful silk fabrics, alongside gowns made in Paris, New York and Montreal.
The more contemporary made in China labels just never got my interest level up, to where I would want to put it on a mannequin and take multiple pictures of it. I view that as a waste of time.
Recently I sold two original vintage Leo-Danal dresses to the daughter of the original designer in Montreal. I was thrilled to get some more history and background on the designer, and she, a prolific artist and painter – was delighted to find these gems that are a part of her own artistic heritage.
The only items in the Quiet West collection that are made in China – are the vintage items made in Hong Kong with detailed bead work. These include hand beaded purses from the fifties and a stunning hand sequinned Gene Shelley dress from the sixties. Things made in Hong Kong in that era are exempt from the general rule of thumb, since they are not mass produced or labeled made in China.
More than ever – it is worthwhile to choose quality over quantity and things with long lasting value versus things that quickly end up in the land fill.
If you want to shop for Canadian made products or for items made in London, France, Italy, New York and Montreal – you have come to the right place.
Please check back for some more history on exceptional mid-century Canadian designers. Some things are worth going back to.