Ribbon Cutting at Nankeen

421 Thames St, Newport, RI | Get Directions »
FREE

Join the Newport County Chamber of Commerce at a ribbon cutting at Nankeen, a new store on lower Thames Street.

Company Overview

In 2005, in the back alleys of Shanghai, Anne and Charlie Page, with backgrounds in interior design and historic preservation architecture, stumbled upon a treasure they knew was in danger of extinction.

The Fabric

Their discovery was an ancient Chinese art form, fabrics using a 3,000 year old paste resist process with origins in the Song Dynasty, in use on the legendary Silk Road and still being created in very limited quantities in the provinces around Shanghai. Stencils are carved by hand in a multitude of historic patterns, through which a mixture of soya bean flour and slaked lime is applied on white, pure cotton, cloth. Once dry, the fabric is dyed in vats of boiling indigo (which grows like a weed in the area), again dried, then scraped clean of the paste to reveal the exquisite blue and white patterns seen in the product. The natural indigo dye ensures the stability of the pattern. Indeed, the fabric improves with the motion of a machine wash and, like your favorite pair of blue jeans, becomes better over time.

The Vision

With colorful linings inspired by Matisse and unique detailing the Nankeen Collection expresses simple elegance in both women's and men's fashion accessories and products for the home.