First Look: Schoolhouse x ace & jig
For us here at Schoolhouse, our most exciting summer project has been our new collaborative collection with cult fashion label and artisan textile specialists ace&jig. Launching online Friday, August 24th, this limited-edition collection represents our most extensive and ambitious collaboration to date. Co-located in Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Oregon, ace&jig built its reputation on creating stunning garments for women and kids. In alignment with their longtime advocacy of the #nowaste slow fashion movement, fabrics from the ace&jig archive have been used to create heirloom-worthy pieces for the home in the Schoolhouse sewing studio.
“Their textiles translate beautifully into our aesthetic,” says Sara Fritsch, Vice President of Schoolhouse. “We’re very proud of this partnership and thrilled to share this collection with our customers.” The varied but tightly edited collection comprises 13 pillows, a throw, an apron, a tablecloth and table runner, and a pendant fixture with a cloth shade. Our product designers focused on showcasing the beautiful ace&jig fabrics, and all of the sewing and product assembly was completed in our Portland factory.
Everything produced by ace&jig starts with the fabrics, which has been a shared passion of founders Cary Vaughan and Jenna Wilson since they met as design interns. Using a vast collection of heirloom textiles for inspiration, Cary and Jenna work with traditional weavers in India (90% of whom are women) working on wooden handlooms to create unique patterns. Fabrics are made from 100% cotton sourced local to the weavers and yarn-dyed with skin-safe, azo-free dyes.
“We are longtime fans of Schoolhouse!” says ace&jig Co-Founder Jenna Wilson. “This collaboration has been a dream. Our textiles perfectly marry with the Schoolhouse aesthetic in a way that is both familiar and wonderfully unexpected. Working in tandem with the team at Schoolhouse has been effortless. The ethos of our two companies are so well aligned. Schoolhouse puts an enormous amount of thoughtfulness into everything they touch - we personally can't wait to adorn our homes with these beloved pieces.”
One highlight of the collection is the Parfait + Henna Circle Pillow. This ideal accent pillow presents a pop of bold, rust-colored stripes from the ace&jig Henna fabric. Contrasting that is the soft pink-peach and pale cream stripes of the Parfait fabric. These textiles come together in a round silhouette (our first-ever round throw pillow) which is hand-sewn here in Portland.
The Promenade Cross-Back Apron embodies the elegant lines and free movement of a Japanese cross back-style apron. Carefully sewn using Promenade fabric, the apron’s black stripes are set against a denim blue background. Deep and roomy pockets finish the piece.
The Goddess Shaded Plug-In Pendant speaks to the origins of Schoolhouse. The only piece of lighting in the collection, the Goddess Shaded Plug-In offers a generous 20 feet of black twisted cloth cord, a True Black-finished brass socket cup, and a Bakelite plug. The shade is made from Goddess fabric, a woven textile with a thin gold-metallic inlay and alternating bands of black cat-eye and diamond patterns.
The launch event for this exciting collaboration will be held on Tuesday, August 21 from 5pm - 8pm. In addition to being the only opportunity to experience (and purchase) this collection in-store, the event will also offer food from Lena’s Kitchen, drinks from Union Wine Company, and music from DJ group Strange Babes. Don’t live in the Portland area? We’re setting aside stock for the web launch on August 24th. Either way, we hope people will be as excited to get their hands on these modern heirlooms as we were to create them.
