CULTURE

Patch Things Up

A.P.C. is turning its surplus fabric into quilted keepsakes

by Nancy MacDonell

A.P.C Quilt

Once their collections have been shown, orders placed, and clothes made, fashion houses are inevitably left with surplus fabric. Most of this excess yardage gets sold further down the food chain. Jean Touitou of A.P.C., however, prefers to squirrel his away. Four years ago he asked Jessica Ogden, the designer of A.P.C.’s Madras line and a quilt aficionado, to transform the brand’s textile archive into limited-edition patchwork quilts. The project proved such a hit that this month 20 of the existing designs are being reissued exclusively at A.P.C.’s West Fourth Street location, along with a slew of new patchwork accessories, including tote bags, iPhone cases, and, in a nod to Ogden’s fancy for felines, some charming cat-shaped cushions. For those eager to spot a scrap from a beloved A.P.C. shirt or dress in a quilt, this might be the last chance. “We’ve got 27 years of leftover yardage so there’s a lot to choose from,” Ogden says. “But it was definitely a challenge to reproduce some of the quilt designs because we’d used up fair amounts of fabric the first time. My mathematical skills have greatly improved!”

*A.P.C. Quilts, available from 11 March at 267 West Fourth Street, 212-755-2523***

Photos: Patch Things Up

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

Image courtesy of the brand.

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