Textile presentations are often given by ‘outside sales reps’; they can be useful, informative and fun. However when the person who designed and developed the textiles makes the presentation it is an entirely different experience.
ENTER – Gretchen Bellinger!
In every professional field there are individuals who are committed to impossibly high standards, and who produce incredible results over and over again. Gretchen Bellinger is one of these people!
Her motto:
Be an example of excellence.
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When I received my invitation to hear Gretchen talk about her textile line in a small setting I jumped at the chance. And so last Tuesday morning a small group of interior designers and architects convened at a breakfast presentation of a collection of very new and very classic textiles by industry legend Gretchen Bellinger at the lovely home of Susan Becher, who handles Gretchen’s public relations.
Textiles organized for a presentation covered a large table in Susan Becher’s lovely and refined home.
Gretchen presenting a wide array of classic textiles which she is known for, and a large selection of new and exciting textiles she has developed and produced to her exacting standards. In the background is her longtime NYC sales representative and friend Angela Brown.
Gretchen shared her personal ‘look book’ with inspiration images and a multitude of stories that accompanied each textile.
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In attendance, L to R: Angela Brown, Jayne Michaels, Lawrence Waltman (Lembo Design), Brian del Toro, David Ling, Joshua Harvey (aka Herve), Lydia dePolo, and Joan Michaels.
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We all know the world has changed, and like it or not we have all had to change along with it. Technology effects everyone, everyday in unimaginable ways, and an increasingly global economy has effected manufacturing, distribution, quality control, and the availability of goods.
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The changes in the textile industry have been enormous across the board; however with a smaller company like Bellinger, with exacting standards and a historical reputation for working in collaboration with mills to develop extraordinary products and quality controls, things have been that much more difficult. When smaller mills she works with go out of business, it is not just a matter of getting another mill to ‘copy’ that product. In a crushing number of cases, Gretchen has found herself back at square one.
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Gretchen shared some the ‘classic’ textiles that she still produces (bemoaning a lot of standards that she has had to drop) and then showed us a crazy number of new textiles more recently developed.
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Paul Siskin and Lawrence Waltman
Lydia dePolo and me (she liked my hot pink Paul Smith tie!)
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Pillows made of different Bellinger fabrics are spread across the white linen sofa, left to right: ‘Applause’ in Lilac Wine, ‘Applause’ in Heather on the Hill, ‘Deluxe’ in Fiddlehead Fern, ‘Velvet Underground’ in Green with Envy, and ‘Play to the Grandstand’ in Going After Lavender
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Interested in seeing the textiles (both old and new) in Gretchen collection? You can follow the links below. You’ll be glad you did!
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Gretchen Bellinger Inc
24 Mill Street
Albany NY 12204
518 445 2400
In New York City
Angela Brown Ltd
By Appointment Only
153 W 27 NYC 10001
212 627 5757
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