[FABRIC INSIGHT] Indigo Bird Embroidery Denim

It’s time for another installment of FABRIC INSIGHT, a series we created in order to give our customers a peek into the background of the fabrics that make up their favorite Engineered Garments pieces. Each season, the brand’s items are constructed from a range of fabrics, sourced from all around the world, imbuing each collection with a new dimension and an irreplaceable quality. This time, we are focusing on Indigo Bird Embroidery Denim, an unexpected yet thematic keystone to the Engineered Garments Spring Summer 2022 collection. 

Fabric selection for Engineered Garments is a process that requires a sensible balance between daring choices that push the brand forward, and an evergreen core identity that persists as a throughline for all collections. As with the Multi Color Acetate Lurex Jacquard (covered in our inaugural chapter, go check that out here if you haven’t yet), the Indigo Bird Embroidery Denim invokes the essence of the collection. 

Wildlife is a recurring motif for the Spring Summer 2022 collection, seen on the Khaki Animal Print Cotton Flat Twill, where creatures are arranged as a sort of proto-camouflage, to the Beige Black Cotton Giraffe Jacquard, displaying a marching tower of giraffes - to say nothing of the animal print Knit Ties. Seeking one more fabric to tie to capture the idea of “Rewilding the World” and tie up the collection, Engineered Garments designer Daiki Suzuki searched for a bird pattern. 

 

With deep knowledge of distributors, mills, and textile shows at his fingertips, Daiki turned to the technique used on the Black w/ Multi Color Floral Embroidery fabric from Fall Winter 2021 - sporting intricate yet clean embroidery completed using floral imagery. Getting back in touch with this mill, he requested a custom sample, sending along a simple sketch of a bird. 

 

Within just a short time the embroidery shop presented the sample. While retaining the key elements of Daiki’s submitted sketch, the manufacturer plucked and pulled the concept design into something entirely new - spontaneous creation. From the single bird came two ornately patterned ones, standing together in a sunlit field of flowers. These chance events create what Daiki refers to as the “unexpected good”. If a finished product can evolve beyond the image in the mind’s eye, the creative process is enhanced, not lessened.

Pleased with the work done by the fabric manufacturer, Daiki granted a gift of his own. Unlike mass-produced brands which dictate absolute rules for fabric cutting so that each item is uniform, Engineered Garments chooses to cut its fabric without categorical homogeneity. Every single garment crafted from this material is different, showing off unique placement on every item. Customers can look through a stack of these shirts knowing that no two are alike.

The base fabric is a light-weight 5oz denim, giving these items exceptional breathability - accommodating temperate wear in the summertime and an array of layering options in the cooler months. 

This unique material shines a light on the same unanticipated quality that made Daiki fall in love with American products more than 30 years ago - wonderful accidents, full of character. This embrace of imperfection is the electricity which allows Engineered Garments and the products they make to sustain brilliance over the decades. 

 

The Engineered Garments Indigo Bird Embroidery Denim is used in the production of the following items for Spring Summer 2022:

• 19 Century BD Shirt
• Bowling Shirt
• Camp Shirt
• Work Shirt

These items are available for purchase in-store and online at nepenthesny.com.