Description
This scarf was made by sewing two vintage neckties together, creating an artsy scarf. Both have the same silky feel and go nicely together. The yellow one has a label from Du Pont, “Qiana”. Check the photos for the image. It’s a fancy nylon. The big round patches are also made from neck tie fabric, embroidered with floss. The big leather buttons were salvaged from an old coat. Both have a bit of scuffing, just a part of their journey…
I found an article on the label, Qiana: “Du Pont introduced its synthetic fiber, Qiana (pronounced kee-AHH-nah) in 1968. The nylon material produced fabrics that combined the appearance of silk with drip-dry qualities. According to the November 1969 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine, Qiana — for years before its debut, covertly called “Fiber Y” — was developed at a cost of $75 million.
“Chemists and scientists working on the project were forbidden to discuss it with outsiders or even other du Pont employees,” the magazine noted.
“Combining a sense of precaution with a flair for publicity, Du Pont introduced Qiana in 1968 by having models wearing garments made from the fabric closely watched by armed guards to prevent anyone from snipping off a sample.”
“Geoffrey Beene, Christian Dior and other leading designers titillated the fashion world in the late 1960s with elegant, silk-like costumes made from a synthetic material called Qiana. Qiana clothes were promoted heavily at better stores,” reported The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware on October 23, 1983.” See the full article here.
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A friend of mine was moving and called all of us fiber artists over to snap up her stash of supplies. She had a barrel full of neckties and told us that whatever was left was going into the dumpster, so I grabbed a bunch. Couldn’t have that happen!
I had a lot of fun making these bold accessories (I made several). I think of this as something similar you would see in some countries, where a textile is draped for effect, more than for function.
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