Thanks to the wonders of email and the internet, sometimes you come across things that are just too awesome not to share. After trying for awhile to come up with something pithy to write about this, I decided that the text on the history of the Ohio Knitting Mills in Cleveland, Ohio should be best left to them:
Founded by Harry Stone in 1928, the Ohio Knitting Mills grew to become one of the country’s largest knitwear producers, and was at the center of Cleveland, Ohio’s thriving garment industry. Three generations of the Stone-Rand family ran the Mill for 76 years, producing knitwear for iconic department stores from Sears to Saks, and revered labels like Pendleton, Van Heusen, and Jack Winter.
The Ohio Knitting Mills took up an entire city block, and employed up to 700 workers. Their products ranged from the sublime to the everyday, and from 1947 -1974 the mill’s production and creativity were at a peak- knitting up caps, capes, sweaters, shirts, vests, dresses, and pants with bold colors, inventive patterns, quality materials, innovative techniques and a good dose of a strong Midwestern work ethic.
After World War II, the Mill plucked samples of each style they produced and put them into storage. Five decades later, this archive had grown into a vast collection of remarkable design artifacts, representing mainstream fashion from the classic 40’s, fab 50’s, swinging 60’s, and funky 70’s. We’ve opened this time capsule, and offer to you our collection of perfectly preserved American fashion and industrial craftsmanship. (Text from here).
I was especially happy to note that one of the family’s plants in Minnesota made Mr. Roger’s cardigans. Like most children of the 70s, I was so in love with Mr. Rogers. But he lost me whenever he went into the creepy Neighborhood of Make Believe with the creepy puppets. If you, too, are a fan of Mr. Rogers’ and would like a similar cardigan to one that the man himself wore, then check out this little gem below. Although Mr. Rogers clearly seems to favor the zipped cardigan over the button-up one (discovered after extensive internet photo research-Who knew?), they still look pretty much the same.
And for the ladies, there are some truly wonderful items that are “limited edition” (there were under 40 found in the mill) and “premium vintage” (last one left). Bizarrely enough, I swear my grandmother has this top still, and is still just as bright and patriotic as in the photo. The men’s items are only available in “premium vintage. In case you’re keeping up, why yes, I do turn 34 next month! And really would look adorable in this.
Hoorah for discovering old wonderful things in great condition that bring you back to the past. An even bigger hoorah for realizing that items from the past should be cherished instead of dumped. What a lovely bit of textile exploration and discovery this find must have been! Could you imagine what we would find if the items from all the mills that have closed over the past century had kept their stock? I’d like to think if we did, then maybe people might begin to understand that textiles are not just something “Made In China.”
P.S. If this has you jonesing for some more Mr. Rogers, you can see a clip of the Neighborhood of Make Believe here. In case that weirds you out, too, (I couldn’t watch the whole thing) the Introduction to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood is here.
