Puppet Glove, Denmark, 1968, 8 in. x 8 in. Alissa Donovan is a 3rd-year student in the School of Human Ecology, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. Textiles enrich our daily lives in many ways, and have been doing so since the beginning of civilization. Textiles have served as protection, beauty, practicality, and art. Possibly the […]
Happy Birthday Helen Louise Allen! Professor Allen spent her life teaching, traveling, and collecting the thousands of textiles in her legacy collection—a sample of which can be seen from now until April 14 in both the Design Gallery and Mecklenburg Textile Gallery. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Allen’s initial gift of 4,000 pieces, […]
Hat featuring embroidery and applique, silk and cotton, China, late nineteenth century, 7x11x8in. By Katie Larson, a third-year student in the School of Human Ecology. This colorful headpiece contains many culturally symbolic details significant to the history of late nineteenth-century China. I was drawn initially to this item by its unique appearance. In my experience […]
Dress, silver foil, Reynolds Metals Company, United States, 1968, 37×28″ By Gretchen Meyer, a second-year student in SoHE, studying Retailing and Consumer Behavior. While browsing through the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, I was in love with so many of the pieces. When I came across this stunning dress – a beautiful, glittery silver shift […]
The Steelcase NEXT competition focuses on innovative designs to create the NEXT workplace of the future. This year’s project client was a real estate development firm in need of a design for their new Denver office. Over 900 students participated in the competition all over the country, and from them 140 projects from 70 universities […]
Oona pattern designed by Maija Isola, Furnishing Fabric, Finland, 1969, 55.25 x 29.5″ By Samuel Anglehart, a fourth-year student in SoHE, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. Marimekko is a design house that played an integral role in the world of textiles. Starting in the early 1950s, Marimekko became a household name as they incorporated graphic […]
Futon Cover Fragment, Japan, 1868-1912, 14×13 in By Sophie Downs, a fourth year student in SoHE, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. This floral piece of cloth is a futon cover fragment from Japan from the turn of the twentieth century. A futon (pronounced fu-tone not fu-tan) is a Japanese style of bed that is essentially […]
Dress, Carolyn Kallenborn, 1994, US, 65×18 in By Jessica Inman, a student in Retailing and Consumer Behavior in the School of Human Ecology. When looking at the Hellen Allen Louise Textile collection online, I was immediately drawn to the dress called ‘Metamorphosis,’ by Carolyn Kallenborn, created in the United States in 1994. I was interested […]
Dr. Sarah Anne Carter has accepted a two-year position as Visiting Executive Director of the Center for Design and Material Culture (CDMC) and Visiting Assistant Professor in Design Studies in the School of Human Ecology. Effective March 1 2019 Dr. Carter will begin working part time, on loan from the Chipstone Foundation until the position […]
Embroidered silk kimono, 1930s, Japan, 64×58″ Written by Nghi Tuong, a third year student in the School of Human Ecology, studying Retailing and Consumer Behavior. I chose to write about this Japanese kimono from the 1930s because I have always been attracted to things that are red, so the background color and the beautiful gold […]
Metallic Embroidery, 1960s, India, 5x8x1in. By David Newell, Director of the Ruth Davis Design Gallery, and Marina Moskowitz, Lynn and Gary Mecklenburg Chair in Textiles, Material Culture, and Design This elegant purse was one piece in the original bequest of Prof. Helen Louise Allen to form the textile collection that —50 years on— is such […]
Embroidery and Weaving, 1986, United States of America, 11x10in. By Mary Pasko, a third year student in Design Studies, studying Textiles and Fashion Design If one takes a gander at the incredible, intricate, and colorful pieces in the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, one might not notice a tiny yet marvelous piece: Chinese Lady created […]
Appliqué, embroidery, paint, and weaving, 1900-1949, China, 8x8x7” By Kayla Caldwell, a fourth-year student in Design Studies, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. Stitch by stitch the details of the ox’s face, its rider, and the colorful creatures and flowers that adorned its head all began to fall into place. The time and care put into […]
Metallic and silk thread on linen, 1400-1499, Italy By Austin Morrow, a third-year student in Design Studies, studying Textiles and Fashion Design. This fifteenth-century Catholic chasuble from the northeastern shore of Italy is an incredible example of many different art forms. A chasuble is a part of the vestment, or ceremonial dress, of a Catholic […]
A student blog story SoHE Design studies students have been challenged to create one-color screen-printed shirts for August, a popular street wear boutique located on State Street in Madison. The project is a partnership between Rob Bowhan, owner of August, and students in Professor Jennifer Angus’ Printing and Dyeing I and II courses. These students incorporated […]
The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is housed right across from the Ruth Davis Design Gallery on the first floor of Nancy Nicholas Hall. Every 10-12 weeks, the displays in the large windows are rotated out and a new textiles are unveiled. On May 7, floral prints from the 1960s were displayed. Helen Louise Allen Textile […]
The SoHE Centers of Excellence play a unique role in our work. As hubs for scholarship, education, and outreach, they build bridges across departments, campus, and communities. They empower our faculty and students to think broadly, act strategically, and create meaningful change in the world. Center for Child and Family Well-Being Working with researchers, policymakers, […]
Aaron Thomas Kellerhuis is a senior in the Textiles and Fashion Design (TFD) program with a textile concentration. He came to UW-Madison with an Associate’s in Arts from Madison College, formerly MATC, and graduated in December 2017 with Distinctive Honors. We interviewed him just before his graduation. SoHE: How did you find out about […]
DISCOVERING FASHION THROUGH HISTORY Isaac Cech is a junior in Textiles and Fashion Design with an apparel track. He transferred to UW-Madison from UW-Whitewater, where he was studying Art History. This is his third year in the program and he is scheduled to graduate in May 2019. SoHE: How did you find out about […]
Alexander Lehr is a senior in Textiles and Fashion Design (TFD) with an apparel focus, particularly in menswear, and “dabbling” in textiles. He started at UW-Madison in Letters and Science, but landed at the School of Human Ecology after learning about its Design Studies program. His expected graduation is August 2018. SoHE: How did […]
Walk by the large window displays on the first floor or Nancy Nicholas Hall, and you’ll see the current exhibit of large-print British textiles from the late 60s and early 70s. According to Natasha Thoreson, Curator and Collections Manager at SoHE, the bold prints represent the Avant Garde style popular at the time in London. […]
For the second summer in a row, SoHE professor Marianne Fairbanks has taken over the Image Lab at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and transformed it into the Weaving Lab: Plain Cloth Productions. Community members are welcome to come and learn the basics of this ancient art form. As a dedicated member of the SoHE family, […]
Blog by student Meg McMahon, x’17 In 1997, letters posted 1939 Prague were discovered in Milwaukee. They were written by a young Jewish couple hoping to escape German occupation with the help of an American relative living in Wisconsin. Included in the letters were fashion sketches and an appeal to employ seamstress Hedwig “Hedy” Strnad. Hedy did […]
Written by Aaron Kellerhuis, student in the School of Human Ecology. Textile and Fashion Design students are designing 8’ by 10’ rugs inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and Prairie School architecture as part of a competition sponsored by Sergenian’s Floor Coverings. For background information, a group of us visited the Sergenian’s Madison rug showroom to learn […]