Devil In The Details: Why Shuttle Loomed Labels?

My love for vintage and Americana started in high school when I worked in a donation trailer for Goodwill Industries. Before I could articulate why I loved vintage, my hands swooned in tactile bliss as I collected (hoarded) old: military uniforms, books, workwear, denim, horsehide jackets, vinyl records, ephemera, rayon Hawaiian shirts, Vans, and much much more. I firmly believed older is better.  

So why shuttle loomed labels? I love the simplicity of the single run stitch stuttering across the weft like morse code. Like a dot matrix printer. The letters are deconstructed. They are antiquated and modern and the same time.

This type of label predates fast fashion. Shuttle looms are slow and for this reason, they are seldom used anymore. Needle looms are fast and admittedly precise. I'm not against technology. I'm just exhausted by it.

So why shuttle loomed labels? When you look inside the collar of an H&M garment, you will not see one. 

A 1950's Sears Hercules denim workwear apron with shuttle loomed label on taffeta from my collection.

Our ARTIFACT Bag Co. shuttle loomed taffeta label with use of early trademark nomenclature.

• Materials,
• Process