Tag: fabric

DIY fashion mogul Mimi G was tired of rifling through piles of bolts at cluttered, musty fabric stores. She designs eye-catching, sexy patterns, and she longed for a fabric shopping experience that felt more like browsing the racks at a chic clothing boutique. She and fellow sewing influencer Brittany Jones launched Melanated Fabrics online, then opened a brick-and-mortar location in Atlanta.

In the rarefied world of passementerie—the decorative fabric trim, tape, tassels, and cords that adorn draperies, furniture skirts, and more—Georgia’s Fringe Market has the high-end niche cornered.

SmithHönig, a maker of wild and bright home fabrics and decor inspired by travel, has formally been a company for less than a year. But its founders, Melanie Hönig and Kellie Smith, have been creative collaborators for more than a decade. They met when Hönig hired Smith, an interior designer, to work on her home. “She came over, and we were supposed to talk about window treatments,” says Hönig, a photographer and travel blog author. “About four hours, a bottle of wine, and a box of chocolates later, we knew we wanted to work on something together.”

Many of native Atlantan Clay McLaurin’s hand-printed textiles are inspired by nature—ferns, feathers, leaves.

With their whimsical fabrics and uneven stitching, kantha throws are fun, colorful accessories. Yet like other quilting traditions, the art form has rich cultural roots. And it starts in India and Bangladesh.

Although Georgia’s textile industry is no longer the economic powerhouse it used to be, the state remains a breeding ground for independent fabric designers, many of whom have attained national prominence.