We are used to hearing these grand names of haute couturiers who use Uzbek ikat fabrics for their collections like John Galliano and Oscar de la Renta. In light of how much media covers work of big fashion houses smaller fashion brands are almost left unnoticed. Meanwhile they seem to be leaving some serious dents on fashion runways.

The other day I was googling something ikat related. The Google Almighty - sometimes this is how I feel we should start referring to Google since so much depends on it - led me to a website of a fashion designer whose name I never heard before – Alix of Bohemia.

Who Is Alex of Bohemia?

Alix of Bohemia is a fashion brand by Alix Verley-Pietrafesa, an Italian textile, French arts genes mixed with education in the University of Scotland, further infused by travels round the world, currently creating from New York City. The bohemian part comes from her passion for vintage things and ethnic textiles. Alix uses it all – embroidery, ikats, kantha quilting, block print fabrics. Of course, it is the Uzbek ikat fabrics part which we find the most interesting.

The inspiration for this suzani table decor collection came as a response to COVID-19 pandemic or rather our desire to be done with it.

To be done with the media noise, confusion, vaccination debates and illogical, often conflicting, data being fed to us. It was our way of saying “Enough is enough”. Basic precautions like avoiding large crowds remain but the goal is to drop fear and panic, to take charge of our wellbeing and to go on loving and celebrating our relationships.

I love to travel and for my travels I have a checklists of things I should have with me while I am on the road. Silk scarf is a "must have" for traveling. In this post let me explain you why.

Silk scarf keeps you warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather


That’s just a quality of silk. Say, you are in Uzbekistan in late August. It is really hot during the day but by 8 pm you would want something warm around your shoulders. That’s when a silk scarf comes handy.

Or, let’s say you are in Venice. When you are walking on a mainland the temperature is perfect, but when you travel by canal boats it gets windy. You will be glad to have something to cover your neck with.

ikat outdoor pillows from Uzbekistan. Bold ikat pattern. Natural fibers.

Outdoors is life! Outdoors is especially fun and enjoyable in summer. Patio and garden design services have seen an increase in demand over the last year. Quite a few of us will come out of the pandemic with outdoor decorating skills. The same is true with gardening.

"Gardening may be a rare positive trend to emerge from the crippling pandemic, said Diane Blazek, executive director of the U.S. industry group National Garden Bureau."

Reuters

Since our patios and gardens are where we spend most of our outdoor time it is important to surround ourselves with beautiful and quality textiles. This is where our ikat outdoor pillows are irreplaceable decor items.