Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World

Description

'Subtle, compendious and rich' - James McConnachie, The Sunday Times 'Dazzling ... Finlay's adventures, vividly recounted, make enthralling reading ... This book is equally an inspiration and an education' - Bel Mooney, Daily Mail 'A gorgeous adventure through the history of cloth' -Stylist Bestselling author Victoria Finlay spins us round the globe in a vibrant exploration of cloth through the ages. She beats the inner bark of trees into cloth in Papua New Guinea, fails to handspin cotton in Guatemala, visits tweed weavers at their homes in Harris, and has lessons in patchwork-making in Gee's Bend, Alabama. And through it all she uncovers the hidden histories of fabric: how and why people have made it, worn it, invented it and made symbols of it Interlaced with Victoria's own story of grief and recovery, Fabric is a lush patchwork of travel, history, memoir and culture - an unforgettable look into how we have made fabric, and how it has made us.

Victoria Finlay is the critically acclaimed author of Colour - Travels Through the Paintbox and the former arts editor of the South China Morning Post. She studied social anthropology and has travelled around the world in search of stories about her subjects, from colour to jewels and fabric. As well as writing, she has worked in international development.

'Subtle, compendious and rich ... an emotive and serious work of what you might call history on the distaff side' - Sunday Times 'Enthralling and sumptuously spun narrative history of how and why people around the world have made, used and worn different kinds of fabric. Beginning her research shortly after the death of her parents, Finlay finds her own story of love and grief entwined in the threads too, making for a fine blend indeed' - Caroline Sanderson, Non-Fiction Editor's Choice for November 'Equally an inspiration and an education' - Daily Mail 'At a moment when alarming statistics regarding textile waste have triggered calls for sustainability within the fashion industry, Finlay takes the reader on a journey of personal discovery that spans the breadth of the globe over the course of centuries ... with deft cultural consciousness. Part historical survey, part memoir and part travelogue, "Fabric" follows Finlay as she discovers the secrets behind each material's history with such wonderment - such reverence - that one cannot help believing in the "hidden magic" she insists is spun into each fibre. Like a skilled weaver, she takes many disparate threads and constructs a compelling narrative as informative as it is emotionally engaging. These moments - where fabric is given life through worn experience are ... fascinating Victoria Finlay gives them their due' - Raissa Bretana, Fashion Historian 'Poetically profound' - Sheila Hicks